back when i ran the voting threads, one of the biggest concerns was console warring. this was partially because i would keep the vote tally updated (and anyone can really check in and do that if they wanted to), but as the threads grew and grew, it was less of a concern. it was also very north american-centric, and while japanese releases were fine to vote on, europeans would sometimes be left out.
additionally, games back in 2004-2008 were mostly released once and that was it. re-releases were compilations or a rare port from something that was a few years old, but games were mostly played on their initial release by people born in the late 70s and through the 80s, and it was a shared experience among a generation.
today? today there are way more options, and more people playing. form factor is a consideration too. i wouldn't play the witcher 3 on my ps4, but i might play it on nintendo switch. if i play it on nintendo switch, it's because i can play it on the go, which offers a fundamentally different experience than on my couch at home. there's also a difference in the game's performance and content that i am not getting if i were to compare it against the 2015 release. the same is true for really any other kind of port. if golf story was ported to ps4 next year, then that person playing it for the first time, because they prefer the experience ps4 offers (trophies, share button), should not have their experience discounted. this extends to other ports. people might be enjoying certain super nintendo games for the first time because they own a switch, and the streaming service through nso, and the online multiplayer it offers is a different experience than needing a super nintendo, a television, and two controllers. or someone might have enjoyed the xbox 1 release of final fantasy ix because they were too young to experience the game in 2000, or they might not have even been born yet - but in 2019, it's a new experience on a modern platform.
so i say everything should be counted. was it released in a calendar year on a video game platform or service? then count it. everything else is just gatekeeping. it won't have a major effect on the overall standings, and it might be interesting to see what pops up when everything is allowed.
