TOL - Should Expansions Qualify for GOTY
Table of Contents
Hey it's Tarrmu and welcome to Thinking Out Loud and in today's video we'll be talking about if expansions and DLC's should be considered for Game of the Year, and this is a topic that I've been thinking about for a while now, with the release of Shadow of the Erdtree and the fanfare around its release.
Recently Geoff Keighley announced the nominations for the Game Awards, with the Game of the Year nominations. Overall I do think the majority of these nominations are quite solid picks, that actually reflect upon the amazing year that we have had in video games. One of the nominations for Game of the Year was the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for 2022's Game of the Year Elden Ring, and this has caused many to question if the inclusion of a DLC or a more apt term being expansion, should be considered for Game of the Year.
It is my personal belief that an expansion shouldn't be a consideration for Game of the Year no matter how good it is, as the fact that this is an expansion of an existing game means that it is an accompaniment to something that released a year prior. I look at expansions like Phantom Liberty last year and as great as that experience was for Cyberpunk I feel the fact that this is a side experience attached to the primary experience being 2077 would disqualify it from being a contender for the GAME of the year.
I see many trying to rule out remakes from the Game of the Year category as well, and I believe that there is a key difference between a Remake and a DLC, and that is a remake being a recreation and reimagined version of an original work, that is from the ground up recreated to tell the same story, but generally occupy different combat, traversal or activities that modernize the game, whilst sustaining the overall atmosphere. However, a DLC is more of a companion piece, and additional piece of content that fleshes out and expands upon an existing experience.
Trust me, I loved Shadow of the Erdtree and I think that this experience is a fantastic DLC, but it ultimately it is an extension of an existing experience from 2022 and I feel like in some respects nominating an expansion or companion piece for Game of the Year undermines the new releases and incredible games that have released in 2024. I think that DLCs and more importantly expansions, should fall under a category of their own for the best expansion of a particular year. But I don't think fundamentally that an extension of a game, is a valid consideration for game of the year, because that's what it is an extension, an expansion, to the base game, and therefore can't be accessed or fully assessed without engaging with this base content.
Anyways that is my thoughts on the matter and I'd be happy to hear your opinions down below on if you feel like DLCs or expansions are a valid consideration for game of the year.
