My least favourite phrase in the world is that ‘everybody is beautiful’. I hate it because it’s not true. It’s like saying everybody is tall. Sure, relative to ants we are, but in general, some people are short, some people are average, and some people are tall. Likewise, some people are ugly, some people are average, and some people are beautiful. I know this is true - I say this as an ugly person. Put me in a line-up next to Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie, and Anya Taylor-Joy and tell me everybody is beautiful. That’s what I thought. All this to say I don’t think 2021 has been a great year for games.

But what about [insert game that you love]? You’re right, that’s a modern classic, that one. And there have been some great games this year, just not enough of them for this to be a great year - this is where the ‘beautiful’ idea comes in. Everybody is not beautiful. Every year is not great for games. If every year is great then the word ‘great’ ceases to mean anything. Games came out. Some were okay. That’s fine. I enjoyed them. It’s not a year for the history books though, and the nominees for The Game Awards show that.

Related: Does It Matter If Good Games Have No New Ideas?2017 had Breath of the Wild, What Remains of Edith Finch, Prey, Cuphead, NieR: Automata, Horizon Zero Dawn, Super Mario Odyssey, Night in the Woods, and Fortnite. That’s a Taylor Swift year right there. 2018 had Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Spider-Man, Celeste, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Tetris Effect - it’s Margot Robbie.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Screenshot Of Arthur Morgan When He's Ill

2019 had Sekiro, Control, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Outer Worlds, Death Stranding, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Star Wars Jedi. It’s average - better than this year, but no match for the Anya Taylor-Joy of a year that was 2020’s Hades, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Last of Us Part 2, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Doom Eternal, Genshin Impact, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and THPS 1+2. 2021… well, that was me. Compared to recent years, it’s quite an ugly year, isn’t it?

I know developers still worked very hard this year, and I still enjoyed a lot of their games. But 2021’s slate just doesn’t measure up to previous years, in the same way I don’t measure up to the beautiful people. I’m still fun to be around, I’m nice enough. But if my wife left me for Margot Robbie I’d understand.

I’m not going to dunk on the GOTY nominees, or any other games up for The Game Awards. It’s their moment in the sun and you can’t help the year you launch into. Even in a pretty meh year, there are some snubs that have surprised me. Life is Strange: True Colors doesn’t fit a lot of categories, I guess, but I’m surprised at how few nominations it has. The Forgotten City feels like a big one to overlook in a year when 12 Minutes finds itself up for Best Indie. Okay, I’ll allow myself one dunk. This is a 700 word article about how ugly I am, I need something to reset the balance.

The Forgotten City the player armed with the Golden Bow in combat against a group of enemies

The reception to the GOTY list has been a shrug. No one is really shocked that a huge game missed out, and while The Forgotten City might have deserved to, no one expected it to do a Hades. Aside from grumblings about specific personal preferences, I don’t think anyone is particularly upset by the line-up. But last year’s list was The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Doom Eternal, Hades, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Few would argue this year is stronger.

I understand that The Game Awards is not the be all and end all. I’ve already mentioned The Forgotten City, and of course who could forget [insert that indie game you like]? I can’t believe people slept on that one. But in general, it’s the big award ceremony of our industry, and it’s not even wrong, it’s just underwhelming. A few big hitters missed the mark - 12 months ago you might have said Cyberpunk 2077 and Far Cry 6 would be the titans of the year, and now no one seems to care that they’ve barely been mentioned.

Cyberpunk 2077

There are a few factors to consider. The new consoles have just launched, and designing for something new brings new complications. We’ve also had a pandemic, causing huge delays. I’d rather have a below par year than have a bunch of developers crunching. And next year is gonna bang - we’re looking at God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Pokemon: Legends Arceus, Elden Ring, Redfall, Breath of the Wild 2, Starfield, Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad, and hopefully a handful of indie games we haven’t even heard of yet as credible Game of the Year nominees.

This year was below average, all things considered. That’s fine. It’s how averages work. It should be fine to say that - everyone’s indifference at the GOTY nominations speaks volumes. I know some of you want to be positive about everything and think it’s an insult to suggest the year when [that game you love that was a solid 7 let’s be honest] came out wasn’t all that great. If you’re the kind of person who thinks everyone is beautiful, then yeah - 2021 was great. In a world where words still mean things, it was okay. And that’s okay.

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