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Alanah Pearce: "The Game Awards is bulllshit. It's a popularity contest"

Topher

Topher

Identifies as young
She is playing stupid about why Hogwart's Legacy wasn't nominated.

"Politics. What politics?"

jennifer lawrence ok GIF
 
BennyBlanco

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
Agent_Nobody said:
Her entire career to this point has literally been dependant on an ongoing popularity contest.

And it’s not to say she’s wrong in the statement itself…but it’s still pretty ironic.
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This applies to anyone whose job is to be an internet personality. Did she get her job writing for Sony Santa Monica because she’s popular and has huge milk wagons? Maybe, but it doesn’t really affect her current job.
 
MagiusNecros

MagiusNecros

Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
Woopah said:
She would vote for games she likes. She's saying she would vote for Dredge, but she doesn't think enough people would have played it for it to be nominated.
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I'd imagine it would have a better chance if Alanah wrote articles about it and if she has influence more would learn about it and give it a shot.
 
Woopah

Woopah

Member
MagiusNecros said:
I'd imagine it would have a better chance if Alanah wrote articles about it and if she has influence more would learn about it and give it a shot.
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She's just using Dredge as example. The video is about explaining how different nominaton systems work for different game awards, and the pros and cons of these systems.

It's not about her saying Dredge should have been picked by the TGAs.

Edit: I'd encourage people to actually watch the video rather than just reading the title.
 
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Holammer

Holammer

Member
Of course it's bull. When you have "an industry" and try to do competitions and awards, it gets political real fast. A Chef once told me how fancier restaurants would not enter local competitions or sponsor events unless they got a guaranteed good grade. No way they would risk their reputation if some nobody won.
Now imagine the problem of having the game awards when everything is paid for by the people you hand out prices to. By companies that don't send out review copies to individuals they don't like.
 
TheThreadsThatBindUs

TheThreadsThatBindUs

Member
The entire gaming market is a popularity contest (where the the most popular games win in terms of sales and mindshare).

But the claim that said popularity is solely because of marketing is laughable. The most popular games in terms of mindshare are generally high quality games; often the highest quality titles.

Marketing budgets also correlate because publishers give the biggest marketing budgets behind their highest quality franchises and titles; e.g. Sony's marketing budget for TLOU II was likely multiple times that of Day's Gone. When publishers know they have a winner on their hands they will put their full marketing weight behind it; and conversely, if they know the next game in their series is a dud, they'll spend less on marketing (typically... Of course there are always exceptions *cough*MS).

Alanah's point is predicated on the presupposition that games like Dredge are inherently equal in quality and entertainment value as games like BG3, Zelda TOTK, Elden Ring or TLOU II. The reality is, they aren't and the difference in popularity is a result of the market recognising this difference in perceived quality and entertainment value.

There are many absolutely stellar smaller indie-style games that deserve to be awarded within their own category, but in the wider superset of games releasing in a given year, smaller games like that just don't provide nearly the same level of entertainment value as the best AAA games.
 
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Woopah

Woopah

Member
TheThreadsThatBindUs said:
The entire gaming market is a popularity contest (where the the most popular games win in terms of sales and mindshare).

But the claim that said popularity is solely because of marketing is laughable. The most popular games in terms of mindshare are generally high quality games; often the highest quality titles.

Marketing budgets also correlate because publishers give the biggest marketing budgets behind their highest quality franchises and titles; e.g. Sony's marketing budget for TLOU II was likely multiple times that of Day's Gone. When publishers know they have a winner on their hands they will put their full marketing weight behind it; and conversely, if they know the next game in their series is a dud, they'll spend less on marketing (typically... Of course there are always exceptions *cough*MS).

Alanah's point is predicated on the presupposition that games like Dredge are inherently equal in quality and entertainment value as games like BG3, Zelda TOTK, Elden Ring or TLOU II. The reality is, they aren't and the difference in popularity is a result of the market recognising this difference in perceived quality and entertainment value.

There are many absolutely stellar smaller indie-style games that deserve to be awarded within their own category, but in the wider superset of games releasing in a given year, smaller games like that just don't provide nearly the same level of entertainment value as the best AAA games.
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She does acknowledge this in the video.
 
taizuke

taizuke

Member
In the video, she lambasted the idea of all these nominations being politically driven. Basically in disbelief that publications from all around the world would share the same political views.

And you know, I'm kinda inclined to agree. Still, zero nominations for Hogwarts? The #1 selling game of 2023? I get not being nominated for GOTY, but not a single nomination? The game definitely deserves some type of recognition, and I would be naive to believe that it was simply a stacked year with better games, especially considering the controversy surrounding it.
 
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WitchHunter

WitchHunter

Banned
StereoVsn said:
It must be comfy commenting all that from her custom Cyberpunk chair when she was promoting the crap out of the game at release.
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CDPR has a very good marketing team. They know exactly what is trending and who/what drives sales.

taizuke said:
In the video, she lambasted the idea of all these nominations being politically driven. Basically in disbelief that publications from all around the world would share the same political views.

And you know, I'm kinda inclined to agree. Still, zero nominations for Hogwarts? The #1 selling game of 2023? I get not being nominated for GOTY, but not a single nomination? The game definitely deserves some type of recognition, and I would be naive to believe that it was simply a stacked year with better games, especially considering the controversy surrounding it.
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Haven't you noticed that most of the praise goes to shitty things? King kong level actors/directors not getting their shiny oscar for 10s of years and the like, while others with mediocre performance get it in an almost instant. World is upside down, don't know why, but it's very strange. I have some wild theories, but rather not disseminate them. But, to be honest, if you have more than 2 neurons in your brain, you can rate your own performance and why would you care about what some group of fucking puppets say or vote about your product? Money+brains is the best gift ever : D.
 
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Wulfer

Wulfer

Member
Hold your hands up who watches the show for the awards.


Hold your hands up if you watch the show for new reveal trailers.


Now, hold your hands up if you watch the show for musical shows.



I watch the show for the trailers and the music. The commercials can be tolerated if the Music and trailers are good. The awards have become rushed and forced. (aka don't need to be there).


The Show needs renaming and revamped!!!!!


Take the awards out and rename the show A Celebration of Digital Sound and Visuals!
 
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Crayon

Crayon

Member
People give the show too much shit. I think Jeff is really trying but you do need to keep the lights on and money gets involved. There is inevitably some shit that gets lamed out from his ideal.

Unrelated, lotta trashy comments in here. I'm only a little embarrassed, don't mind me.
 
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L

Last Hearth

Member
Draugoth said:

​

Alanah Pearce, influencer and writer at Santa Monica Studio recently gave her opinion on The Game Awards. According to her, the show is nothing more than a popularity contest.
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It’s a popularity among gaming “journalists” contest, a true popularity contest would have nominated Hogwarts.
 
Kikorin

Kikorin

Member
Yes, I agree. Same for movie's Oscars. This year could win one between Mario or Zelda tho, so could effectively win the best game of the year.
 
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