Player Player: A Video Game Podcast · Player Player

Is Game of the Year Played Out? (ft. Jacob McCourt)

·1 hr 11 min·5 clips

Joseph asks whether a definitive game-of-the-year list still makes sense.

Joseph opens by welcoming listeners back and introducing Jacob McCourt as a guest. Jacob jokes that it has been at least a year since he was last on Player Player. The conversation moves fast into what Game of the Year talk actually does for a gaming audience. They treat it less like a ceremony and more like a weekly argument people can enjoy, or roll their eyes at. One side of the discussion likes live debate because it lets people hear the reasoning unfold in real time. The other side prefers ranked lists because they feel more settled and less chaotic. Jacob says the list can be easier to accept when the votes are already in. He points out that a live argument can get frustrating when a strong speaker takes over the room. The pair talk through how that can leave listeners feeling like their view never quite made it in. Joseph brings up the opposite thrill too, where someone confidently makes the whole room reconsider a game. They use Mario Kart World as an example of a game people can feel very differently about. They also mention Blueprints as the kind of surprise pick that can still shift opinions when the case is strong enough. The discussion reaches back to Austin Walker and Invisible Ink as a remembered example of someone selling a niche choice with real conviction. Jacob says those moments stand out precisely because they are rare. He adds that, most of the time, he is happy to let Game of the Year conversations wash over him. Joseph agrees that not every listener wants to sit through a full, heated argument. Even so, they both make the case that the format works when the people talking actually know the games. They end by pointing listeners toward Cross Play Conversations. They also mention that the first part of their own Game of the Year episode should be out soon. The sign-off stays loose and familiar, which fits the rest of the show.

As heard by us

A lively Game of the Year debate that cares about the argument as much as the result.

This Player Player episode treats Game of the Year talk as a real argument, not just a list of picks. Jacob McCourt settles into the show's rhythm easily, and the best stretch comes when a forceful live take is set against the calmer logic of a ranked list.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a Game of the Year debate that is as much about the list as the arguing.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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