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Friday, July 20, 2012

Eannie, Meanie, ENnies - It's Like the All-Star Game for RPGs

'Tis ENnie time. Time for blogs and RPGs and publishers that have made the cut to shill and plead and cajole their readers, customers and fans to vote for them in the ENnie balloting. Just like the MLB All-Star Game, ballot box stuffing is encouraged.

Which is why it is mostly the larger companies with a larger following that scoff up the awards.

It's a popularity contest, not a quality contest.

I'd like to see awards or recognition for gaming products from the writers and creators of games. What THEY think are the top products, the ones that push the creative envelope, the stuff that they are playing when they aren't playing their own creations.

I'm sure the two lists would be very different. I'd personally find the second list more valuable.


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5 comments:

  1. Mark GedakJuly 21, 2012 at 12:40 AM

    Do you have a list of your best products for the last year?

    Who should have made the list that didn't?

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  2. KiltedyaksmanJuly 21, 2012 at 7:24 AM

    I found the rules so off putting that I didn't bother.

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  3. Erik TenkarJuly 21, 2012 at 9:53 AM

    @Mark - I'd have to make sure I had a list that covered the ENnies time frame, but the fact you have to enter your products in dead tree if possible and pay a fee if its in PDF weeds out the smaller publishers.

    In many ways, it's self selecting.

    @Kiltedyaksman - I'd like to see nominations made by those in the industry - recommending the works of others - not folks saying "vote for me and my friends" because that doesn't tell us why something is good, but it does explain the votes

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  4. Mark GedakJuly 21, 2012 at 9:59 AM

    Last year we didn't select ourselves in this year we gave it a shot but were shut out of the three categories we tried for.

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  5. Erik TenkarJuly 21, 2012 at 10:04 AM

    @Mark Gedak - in a way it's like playing the lottery, but the only guaranteed winners are the ENNie reviewers and their piles of swag.

    There is a problem with the whole process. I may post more thoughts on it later, but the idea that to win a prize that supposedly means you and your products are the best of the best requires you to opt in AND shell out products and or cash for the privilege to be considered is wrong.

    As for those running to be judges, I suspect most are in it for the swag...

    ReplyDelete