2024 is one of the most confusing eras in gaming. From mystery flops like Unknown 9: Awakening and Concord's impressive 2-week lifespan to Astro Bot being every single Nintendo game you played and Call of Duty's love of aim-assist, it's been one messed up year for sure.
Enter The Game Awards 2024. The awarding body has celebrated gaming since 2014 and has decided to make not-so-subtle changes to its 10th anniversary this December. Telling 2024 to "Hold its beer," it now considers DLCs as full games eligible for the most coveted title: The Game Of The Year award.
A recent announcement from The Game Awards mentioned that the awarding body would consider DLCs, expansion packs, and remasters, among many add-ons, to be eligible for winning Game of The Year.
The community thought that The Game Awards did so to include Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, which turned out to be true after it announced the complete list of nominees.
Some even called the Game Awards announcement "The Elden Ring Clause" now that the DLC is confirmed as a GOTY nominee. Since then, many gamers have become vocal about the actual definitions of the terms "games" and "DLCs."
Thanks to Google, it is easy to find the definitions of these terms. However, considering that the Game Awards is one of the most prestigious annual events in gaming, it seems that the awards have made up their own definitions.
With the esteemed GOTY award on the line, we can't wait until December. So, we took it upon ourselves to predict the winner of The Game Awards 2024 using the ever-popular ChatGPT. Here's what it said for each of the categories.
Game of the Year (GOTY)
Awarded for the best game experience across creative vision, gameplay, and technical achievement.
Winner: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, while a strong contender, is an expansion, not a full game. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth offers a complete, standalone experience with groundbreaking visuals, mechanics, and narrative, likely positioning it as the top choice.
Best Game Direction
Winner: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- The direction in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is widely praised for expanding on the original game's story, while also evolving the series in meaningful ways. The game's combination of open-world exploration and narrative-heavy segments demonstrates top-tier direction.
Best Ongoing Game
Winner: Final Fantasy 14
- Final Fantasy 14 has been consistently excellent, with ongoing updates and expansions keeping players engaged. The support from Square Enix and the player community, especially after the successful "Endwalker" expansion and the addition of new content, ensures its dominance in this category.
Best Art Direction
Winner: Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Metaphor: ReFantazio stands out with its striking visual design and unique art style. It blends traditional JRPG aesthetics with bold and modern takes, making it a standout contender in terms of visual appeal and creativity.
Best Mobile Game
Winner: Wuthering Waves
- Wuthering Waves has received significant attention for its ambitious open-world design and engaging gameplay, making it a top pick for mobile game excellence.
Best Narrative
Winner: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- The narrative in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continues the beloved story from the original game while introducing fresh twists and deep emotional storytelling. Given the depth of the characters and world-building, it’s a favorite here.
Best Performance
Winner: Melina Juergens, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Melina Juergens delivers a powerful performance in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, which has been lauded for its portrayal of mental health. Her ability to convey deep emotional complexity in the character of Senua sets her apart.
Best Score & Music
Winner: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- The music in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continues the legacy of its predecessor, blending orchestral and modern elements to create an emotional, immersive experience that will likely win this category.
Best Audio
Winner: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is known for its groundbreaking use of binaural audio, which has set a new standard for immersion, especially when it comes to the representation of mental health.
Best Adaptation
Winner: Arcane
- Arcane stands out as a well-executed animated series that successfully adapts the League of Legends universe into a critically acclaimed show. Its high-quality animation, storytelling, and character development make it a top pick.
Best Multiplayer
Winner: Helldivers 2
- Helldivers 2 is designed specifically for cooperative multiplayer, and the team-based mechanics, combined with its challenging gameplay, make it a standout choice for this category.
Best Independent Game
Winner: Animal Well
- Animal Well has garnered praise for its innovative gameplay, unique art direction, and fresh take on puzzle-platformers, making it a strong contender in the indie game space.
Debut Indie Game
Winner: The Plucky Squire
- The Plucky Squire is an imaginative and well-received debut, with its mix of 2D and 3D mechanics setting it apart. Its charming art style and gameplay innovations make it a solid pick here.
Most Anticipated Game
Winner: Grand Theft Auto 6
- Grand Theft Auto 6 has the largest fan base and the most anticipation surrounding it. Rockstar’s ability to deliver exceptional open-world experiences ensures it remains at the top of this category.
Best Role-Playing Game
Winner: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- As a sequel to one of the most iconic RPGs of all time, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth carries immense weight. Its rich storytelling and turn-based battle system make it a top contender for best RPG.
Games for Impact
Winner: Life Is Strange: Double Exposure
- The Life Is Strange series is known for tackling emotional and important issues. Double Exposure continues this tradition, making it a strong contender for this category.
Best Action/Adventure
Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- The Legend of Zelda franchise is consistently praised for its action-adventure experiences. Echoes of Wisdom continues the legacy with expansive worlds, challenging puzzles, and captivating storytelling.
Best Action Game
Winner: Black Myth: Wukong
- With its stunning visuals and fluid combat mechanics, Black Myth: Wukong stands out in the action category. Its ability to blend mythology with fast-paced gameplay gives it a strong chance to win here.
Best Fighting Game
Winner: Tekken 8
- Tekken 8 is expected to continue the series’ legacy with refined mechanics, deep character rosters, and fan-favorite moves, making it a prime contender for Best Fighting.
Innovation in Accessibility
Winner: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has focused heavily on making the game accessible to a wide audience, introducing innovative options for various disabilities, setting a strong example in this category.
Best Community Support
Winner: Final Fantasy 14
- Final Fantasy 14 is known for its thriving community, robust content updates, and positive developer support. The player base is highly engaged, and Square Enix consistently listens to player feedback.
Best Family Game
Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- The Legend of Zelda series is known for being accessible to players of all ages, making Echoes of Wisdom an excellent pick for Best Family Game.
Best Sim/Strategy Game
Winner: Unicorn Overlord
- Unicorn Overlord has innovative mechanics and a fresh take on the simulation and strategy genres, giving it a strong chance in this category.
Best Sports/Racing Game
Winner: F1 24
- F1 24 delivers a realistic and immersive racing experience, with cutting-edge graphics and gameplay mechanics that set it apart in the sports/racing genre.
Best VR/AR Game
Winner: Asgard’s Wrath 2
- Asgard’s Wrath 2 is a standout VR title, combining epic Norse mythology with action-packed gameplay, making it the best pick for VR/AR.
Best Esports Game
Winner: Valorant
- Valorant continues to dominate the esports scene, with its tactical gameplay and massive competitive scene ensuring its place as a top esports game.
Best Esports Athlete
Winner: Faker
- Faker remains one of the most iconic and successful esports athletes, known for his continued dominance in League of Legends.
Best Esports Team
Winner: Gen.G, League of Legends
- Gen.G is one of the most successful League of Legends teams, consistently performing well in major tournaments, making them a strong pick for Best Esports Team.
Asking the AI for predictions based on a title's popularity and reception comes close to being accurate, but it interestingly discarded Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree as it isn’t considered a full game according to the proper definition of a DLC.
Even ChatGPT knows what it means to be Game of the Year.
Shadow of the Erdtree is a fantastic expansion and should be recognized as one. It is considered one of the best expansions in gaming history and improves upon the already GOTY-decorated Elden Ring. Having another category for DLC of the year would've simplified things and not divided many gaming fans.
In a recent Reddit post, players voiced that DLCs and season passes shouldn't even be considered GOTY-worthy. This devalues the award itself and allows incomplete games to be published.
While Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion won an award in the 2023 Game Awards, it was not nominated for Game of The Year.
Cyberpunk 2077 won the Best Ongoing Game award last year, considering that it isn't a live service title like its contenders, such as Final Fantasy XIV, an MMO that constantly gets updated through various events and story expansions. A title that is unfinished and unpolished during release does not directly translate into an "ongoing game."
The Game Awards 2024 is the second year that the awarding body has questionably nominated a game clearly outside of its category.
It's wild to think how gaming evolved throughout the years, and consoles are becoming more powerful than ever in terms of hardware. While gaming in 2024 is confusing as it is, it is also as fun as any other year with its fantastic releases and new hardware.
Celebrating gaming through events like The Game Awards and The Golden Joystick Awards is one of the best avenues to promote the future of gaming, as long as each title is given a proper category to shine. Gamers wouldn't want to award titles that aren't in their categories as much as foodies not awarding hashbrowns as the best fries ever.
You can now vote for your favorite titles and nominees for The Game Awards 2024, so be sure to stay updated with the latest gaming news and stories by following Gfinity Esports.