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I found the "Best family game" category at Game Awards a little strange and condescending
- Thread starter Waluigilicious
- Start date
OP
OP
I sometimes have trouble putting across what I mean. The problem isn't the fact that they are all Nintendo. They happen to be all Nintendo because Nintendo creates games in the categories that are ignored in the game awards. It could have been a different list of games but the same point would still stand.
This is the important question.
These games all have on big thing in common for me and that is my daughter and I have played them all together. Yes, even Ring Fit.
I have a coworker that had not touched video games since the N64, and now has two daughters. He decided to pick up a Switch to play BotW and some other games. His daughters absolutely loved watching him play BotW, and the next Halloween, they even dressed up as Zelda and a Korok.
It doesn't bother me personally. I can enjoy G rated movies and recognize that they're mostly made for children.
What does make me laugh though is people saying that the game awards winners are all violent and sterile when Disco Elysium swept every category it was up for including best narrative and RPG, and ended up walking away with the most awards.
What does make me laugh though is people saying that the game awards winners are all violent and sterile when Disco Elysium swept every category it was up for including best narrative and RPG, and ended up walking away with the most awards.
OP
OP
I don't have my own children but I do have kids in the family and we do play games together, and yes these are the games we will play. Part of my point was that these games deserve a bit more than being "praised" only for being "family friendly". Every game in that list I also play on my own with no family around, for hours on end, and thoroughly enjoy. I love platformers, rhythm games, party games, puzzle games and local multiplayer games (which may or may not necessarily be "family friendly"). The fact that their "best multiplayer" category doesn't take into account local multiplayer speaks for itself.
OP
OP
This further proves the point! Botw is not a "family game" (and therefore wasn't included as such and even won the thing previously). It just has no blood or gore and therefore is suitable for a child to watch. It is a 100% single player experience. If Nintendo had tacked on some sort of multiplayer element to it, should it have been featured in the family section? Ironically it probably would have, and then not won. I understand what the category is "trying" to do, but all it does is illustrate how the categories and how they decide to include the games are flawed, and that games are seen as "less" for promoting being family friendly or local multiplayer friendly.
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Then show is a joke and can't be taken seriously. They had Death Stranding up there for GOTY and no Luigi's Mansion? Just because it's not some realistic game.
I did enjoy Fire Emblem outright obliterating all the "real" nominees in the fan vote.
I agree with this. On the whole I feel that TGA need to further develop & tailor the awards to the actual gaming culture. It feels as though most awards are just reskinned movie awards.
Perhaps this says something about the genres of our hobby & how diverse gaming can be.
Even GotY is a strange category because it is never defined what exactly it takes to be GotY. Was it impact? Media coverage? Review scores? The level of fun a game provides during play? I'm absolutely loved Sekiro this year & earned the platinum. I was happy to see it win the big award. But by what merit did it win over the equally impressive & impactful games in the category?
Anyway, my thought about the Family Game category is that we as the gaming culture are caught in a divide between games as Fun, games as Art, & games as Spectacle. Nintendo most definitely views Fun as the most important quality. This belief keeps Nintendo separated from a large part of the industry which places the most importance in Spectacle. Thus they are put into a nebulous category all their own for recognition. Even Geoff recognized this last year & joked about Nintendo's chances in that category.
I love both LM3 & Death Stranding. Death Stranding is by far the more immediately impactful game.
At least we can be sure the Fast and Furious game will be nominated for the category next year
If you have kids I think this category makes more sense. Of all the things I bought this year these are basically the only ones I'd show to a <10 yr old.
OP
OP
In that case they should be honest and name the category that, and also take into account that >10 year olds also play and enjoy these games when it comes to deciding the nominess for other categories and even the award categories in the first place. Seeing most games I enjoy as an adult playing on my own only being mentioned in a category full of games that is <10 year old friendly makes no sense. There's more to them than that.
The key part I disagree with you on is being family friendly, especially in today's market, is a compliment is something I actively seek as a parent. I don't view this as tossing these games a bone. Also some of these have no/limited actual multiplayer.
This was about what I thought it was about, but I'll agree those could be used. Though Bloodstained is a Metroidvania, not a platformer. It's not about tricky timing and far as I know you can't fall off the edge of something and die like a goof. Trouble is, are there enough to fill those genres every year?
You still don't seem to get what Family Friendly & All Ages means as a general term.
Are you self conscious 'cause the listed games are E for Everyone or something?
OP
OP
I totally agree. I am not downplaying the importance of games that a parent should know is safe (and fun) for their kids to play. If it was a category on its own that clearly wasn't designed to mask that Ring Fit being put down as an RPG or Sports would turn heads, and that online multiplayer is not the only form of multiplayer in 2019, and that genres like platformers, rhythm and puzzle games exist, then I'd be totally on board.
Maybe they should rename the category as kid/parent friendly then? Because with what it's currently called, Jackbox Party Pack 6 and even FIFA are also perfect family games, but clearly this list is even more specific. It honestly really is just kid friendly/no gore or swearing/fun oriented, otherwise the two games I mentioned should absolutely be there. They should be honest with the name and not make it a dumping ground for perfectly great games that are yes very family friendly but also much more than that. It's just the same with the way these games get reviewed and it's getting old.
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I don't see what the problem is. Having a family myself I can tell you that these are all games that my girls have played and enjoyed. Except Ring Fit because we haven't gotten it yet.
That said, the switch was represented pretty well last night even if you don't think it was.
Nintendo did just fine at the awards.
That said, the switch was represented pretty well last night even if you don't think it was.
- Smash GOTY nom
- Link's Awakening Art Direction nom
- Cadence of Hyrule best score nom
- Astral Chain best action game nom
- Link's Awakening best action/adventure nom
- Smash best fighting game WIN (questionable)
- FE3H best strategy game WIN
- Tetris 99 best multiplayer game nom
- FE3H players voice WIN
Nintendo did just fine at the awards.
But I also think that "Family" is an important keyword here, too. These are games my wife will also hop in on, or my brother-in-law. They tend to be more inclusive and friendly than the rest of the pack. I get your vibe here and I truly hope these titles don't end up stuck in this category, but I also get why they're here.
Bear in mind, these were blind nominated by a panel of around 80 publications. There was no way to to rig it to all be Nintendo, it just worked out that way.
I have to admit, I would love to live in a world were a game like Ring Fit Adventure could get a GOTY nomination. And I think it would even deserve to win given how the game has personally impacted my life.
OP
OP
It needs to break into the RPG or sport category first 😂 but you're right. It's like Brain Training, no doubt it will just get chucked into the family category next year.
It's hard to put a point across through text but it has been an interesting discussion nonetheless.
Why questionable? It's the highest profile, best selling, and best reviewed fighting game of the nominees.
Just because your kid likes watching you play Ring Fit Adventure doesn't make it a family game, come on now, that game isn't even multiplayer. Games like Smash Ultimate also don't really make it possible for people of different ability to play together well. The category is a euphemism for ESRB E rating, not an actual family game game type.
That's why it's the family category and not the <10 category. Family means both kids and adults.
OP
OP
Thank you, this was what I was trying to get at but you worded it better. All these games are is that your kid can sit and watch without you worrying. One of those games is single player (Ring Fit), and two are single player with 2 player as an option (Luigi, Yoshi). The other focuses on creating a level and sharing it online (Mario Maker), whilst lastly Smash as you said is certainly not the best of games to play with the family if they are of different ability. I think we are giving this category too much credit for what it's trying to do. It's a dumping ground for "kid friendly" games and nothing more.
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You're not wrong.
Hell, it should've been in the overall GOTY category. It's the best Nintendo game I've played since BotW, easily.
Reducing it to a generic "family" category makes zero sense. I don't think kids want to do 100 squats in a row to progress through levels.
I bought it day one, I enjoy it. As a fighting game I enjoyed SamSho and MK11 more.
As a fun gather up the friends and talk shit while being in awe of 30 years of fanservice it's a wonderful game.
Ring Fit Adventure isn't a sports game. You workout, which most people don't consider a sport. It actually fits better in the Best RPG category.
Smash didn't get Best Multiplayer Game purely because its online sucks. But it should have still been nominated since only MK rivals Smash in local multiplayer.
OP is just really correct and has explained themself well. At the end of the day it's not the biggest deal in the world but it does point to, at the very least, an issue with the categories and at most a bias against certain types of games.
The category just doesn't make sense in how it played out this year. The connection between them all is that they are family friendly. So is the award given to a game that is family friendly but is also the best game? Why wouldn't Smash win that since it's nominated for GotY? Or maybe its the game that is the most enjoyable when played with family? It doesn't make sense that LM3 would win that when coop is completely unnecesary and (though fun) wasn't the focal point of the game.
It's basically like an ad in a Christmas catalogue highlighting popular games that kids might like. It doesn't recognize a game for it's merits that make it great. That's fine if that's what they want but it doesn't really mean anything.
The category just doesn't make sense in how it played out this year. The connection between them all is that they are family friendly. So is the award given to a game that is family friendly but is also the best game? Why wouldn't Smash win that since it's nominated for GotY? Or maybe its the game that is the most enjoyable when played with family? It doesn't make sense that LM3 would win that when coop is completely unnecesary and (though fun) wasn't the focal point of the game.
It's basically like an ad in a Christmas catalogue highlighting popular games that kids might like. It doesn't recognize a game for it's merits that make it great. That's fine if that's what they want but it doesn't really mean anything.
I think one of the issue is that there are too many good games that deserve some kind of shoutout in the show.
The video game industry is huge, and limiting its representation to a handful of game per genre is frustrating. The family category doesn't have to make sense, but it exists to show a wider variety of games.
Just look at the Action/Adventure category.
Does it really make sense to put Death Stranding, Sekiro, Link's Awakening and Borderlands 3 (among other) together as being part of the same genre ? I don't think so either, but it's there.
The video game industry is huge, and limiting its representation to a handful of game per genre is frustrating. The family category doesn't have to make sense, but it exists to show a wider variety of games.
Just look at the Action/Adventure category.
Does it really make sense to put Death Stranding, Sekiro, Link's Awakening and Borderlands 3 (among other) together as being part of the same genre ? I don't think so either, but it's there.
OP I get where you are coming from, but I think the problem is more with the industry itself. The classification only reflects the fact that "cartoony" games aren't taken as seriously as more realistic games and you can't find major publishers making them with AAA value. Only a few "family games" manage to escape this ghetto, such as 3D Zelda, Mario and Smash.
For me, a family game is not about the target audience but accessibility. Or, in other words "can a person who never played VG can play and enjoy the experience". In that category I can think of Tetris, Worms, Overcoocked and Heave Ho (which should have been in this category this year).
Luigi's and Smash have way to many control or rules (mostly Smash) to be in my definition of family category.
The fact I played most of it with my GF and it was a blast is a bonus, not a category.
Luigi's and Smash have way to many control or rules (mostly Smash) to be in my definition of family category.
Exactly. I think LM3 is a really great game and deserved to be praised.
The fact I played most of it with my GF and it was a blast is a bonus, not a category.
I don't see what multiplayer has to do with this. It's just games that the whole family can enjoy, not necessarily playing at the same time.
I think it's fine, the Ring Fit choice seems kind of lame, but whatever.
I explained myself earlier. In a year without MK11 or Samsho, yes fine.
Where would you put Luigis Mansion? Or Ring Fit? And are they better than the games you would have to replace them with?