Escapist GOTY Contest Thing

[empath]

Popularity contests are shallow and a net detriment to society; popularity contests for objects are even worse because the winner has no ego that can be stroked by this (the creator(s) might get some pride from it, but one step removed).

...and popularity contests for objects held on the Internet are absolute folly and a waste of time and effort.

Discussion and debate (ON the Internet) about the above? No thanks; I'd rather not lose friends; that's why I waited until this whole mess was over before posting here. Even in THIS, the friendliest, nicest, most accepting and easy-going community I've discovered in my years and years of banging around online, I found this topic of discussion provoking genuine acrimony (and this isn't over the 'cheating', I can point to some 'you're not allowed to have your opinion' posts HERE, fer crissakes)

...and no FUCKING way in HELL would I take the effort to poke my nose into the source community that involved this 'game pageant' - every time I've bothered to look at threads or posts over there I've simply found such piles of entrenched and openly hostile fan-boys and extremists and their interminable scrolls of vituperative screed that of interest or value is usually spoiled, ruined or destroyed.

So hearing 'that place' mentioned and referenced HERE made me uneasy, yet I skimmed over the posts in this thread, thought about the subject matter, and cast my vote. And no, I'm not telling you which one I voted for, but I will say: of the four finalists, I've only played one of the games (and even then, not to completion {damn backlog})...and the game I voted for was NOT that one.

And when it's all said and done; my choice didn't win...but then I kept myself from getting emotionally invested in this, and as such it bothered me just about....*thinks* nope; it didn't bother me at all.

So I'm glad this mess is over, I'm sorry that people have gotten upset over how matters developed, and hope the hurt passes quickly (yet those who got enjoyment/triumph/other positive feelings from the event have a lasting boon to their mood ).

I hope that people will pin less of their souls to such a transitory and ephemeral (and mutable-to-an-ease-of-abuse) thing in the future, and as such be hurt and angered less...but then, we are human, so I guess that makes me the biggest fool of all.



tl;dr?

an equal mix of



and

[Kapol]

Personally, I'm not hurt or anything. More just... sad that it had to come to it. I know there are decent members of the Escapist community. I had a lot of fun meeting some at The Escapist Expo. But it just makes me sad that there are people out there who act so hostile like that.

I understand why people weren't happy about the Russian Let's Player playing such a big part in this. I understand why people are upset their game didn't win. I don't feel the same way, but I think I get it. I really don't mind so much that Last of Us won as much as the fact people are celebrating more that Papers, Please lost. I'm fine with people celebrating the winner. People celebrating someone's lose in something like this just feels... malicious to me.

But yea, some people get tied up way too much in things like these. But that's why we still have 'the console wars,' the 'PC gaming master race,' and pretty much many of the major issues plaguing the gaming community.

I dunno. Maybe I'm being part of the problem by even giving these kinds of things a second though.

[empath]

Don't worry, you'll get nice, thick calluses over your 'give a damn' glands before long.

And next thing you know, you'll be just as jaded and cynical as I am (and time will have seemed to LEAPT ahead while you weren't paying attention).

But just remember: "Scratch a cynic and you'll find a disappointed idealist." - this is still true even of me, so be surprised neither with my rare moments of hope, nor with these unexpected spurts of optimism in yourself.

[AzureAngel17]

I'm beyond delighted that Papers, Please is winning here. It's one of literally 4 total games I've bought all year, which is saying something for me.