This isn’t a proper post but rather just a place to dump some links I want to come back to later.
As we have a Best Video Game category in the 2021 Hugo Awards, I thought I’d grab some round-up articles of Best Games. Not all of these will be Science Fiction/Fantasy themed so these aren’t definitive guides. I’m just trying to get a sense of the ‘high-profile’ side of the field.
I’m going to tabulate things later. My impression is that Hades and Animal Crossing are the most consistently rated. Less consistently rated but still a social phenomenon is Among Us, the find a traitor on your spaceship game.
7 responses to “Some ‘Best Video Games of 2020’ lists”
I agree that Among Us is a phenomenon, but as far as I know it was created in 2018 (at least Steam says so) and I’m not entirely sure how much it was changed this year. Does anybody whether this would count as “substantial modification”
I’d be iffy on Hades’ status as well. It was released in Early Access in 2018; how much of the game was developed during 2020; are the changes made *this year* prior to its official release enough to make it eligible; was there enough extra polish and extra content upon official release to make it eligible this year? This is a question that, depending on the game, might require a not insubstantial amount of research from Hugo co-ordinators, that they may understandably be reluctant to do on top of everything else.
eArc etc tend to get be ignored in favour of the official publication date for books. I think for games beta versions etc are part of the development process, so in most cases the official release date is the sensible date.
I don’t think Early Access is comparable to ARCs or even, in some cases, beta versions. One tends not to pay for an ARC or a beta programme for games/apps. ARCs and beta participation are also usually limited capacity and as far as I’m aware a game in Early Access is basically just available to the general public who have Steam, some spare cash and a PC good enough to play the game. EA is therefore just a murkier area in general than traditional ARC or beta programmes.
One precedent that could be relevant is Baen’s habit of charging for an e-ARC copy prior to official publication.
Camestros Felapton 
7 responses to “Some ‘Best Video Games of 2020’ lists”
I agree that Among Us is a phenomenon, but as far as I know it was created in 2018 (at least Steam says so) and I’m not entirely sure how much it was changed this year. Does anybody whether this would count as “substantial modification”
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Thanks – I didn’t know that.
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I’d be iffy on Hades’ status as well. It was released in Early Access in 2018; how much of the game was developed during 2020; are the changes made *this year* prior to its official release enough to make it eligible; was there enough extra polish and extra content upon official release to make it eligible this year? This is a question that, depending on the game, might require a not insubstantial amount of research from Hugo co-ordinators, that they may understandably be reluctant to do on top of everything else.
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eArc etc tend to get be ignored in favour of the official publication date for books. I think for games beta versions etc are part of the development process, so in most cases the official release date is the sensible date.
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I don’t think Early Access is comparable to ARCs or even, in some cases, beta versions. One tends not to pay for an ARC or a beta programme for games/apps. ARCs and beta participation are also usually limited capacity and as far as I’m aware a game in Early Access is basically just available to the general public who have Steam, some spare cash and a PC good enough to play the game. EA is therefore just a murkier area in general than traditional ARC or beta programmes.
One precedent that could be relevant is Baen’s habit of charging for an e-ARC copy prior to official publication.
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[…] other week I linked to a few “best of…” lists for 2020. On Twitter, Hampus also suggested another round-up source here […]
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[…] other week I linked to a few “best of…” lists for 2020. On Twitter, Hampus also suggested another round-up source […]
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