Despite their evergrowing competition, Steam and Valve hold quite a majority of influence in the industry. The annual Steam Awards collate the massive userbase’s choice of the ‘crème de la crème’ of the platform.
Last year (2018) has been such a prominent year for gaming and industry. We saw the rampancy of Battle Royales, new VR breakthrough games, and the immense quality produced by both small and large developers. The real question is… what did the Steam community pick as their favourites?
Game of the Year goes to Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Its humongous player base and addictive multiplayer clearly present why the users of Steam voted it in. Oddly enough though, the competition in the category is so strong that it is a surprising pick. Going up against giants like Monster Hunter World, Kingdom Come Deliverance, HITMAN 2, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey… and somehow still taking out the gold. Can’t deny, PUBG paved the way for the Battle Royale craze and deserves recognition wherever it can get it.
The Elders Scrolls V: Skyrim VR took out the best VR game award with a strong grip amongst a tight competition. Battling competent titles like VR Chat, Beat Saber, Fallout 4 VR, and Superhot VR (arguably best of the bunch), the game feels like the appropriate pick. Bethesda probably wasn’t too worried though, having two of the five nominees within their terrain. Now that Skyrim has conquered the VR platform, where will the epic RPG find itself next? Commodore 64? Out of home advertising? Maybe even on Netflix?
The Labor of Love award goes to the game that received the most consistent and effective updates from a dedicated team of developers. A title saturated with love from its developers and loyal player base. With nominees like No Man’s Sky, DOTA 2, Stardew Valley, and Path of Exile its quite clear that the winner must be an incredibly deep, and immensely loved game. Grand Theft Auto V stole this award out from plain sight. Not to disregard the incredible work from Rockstar’s team, the incredible overhaul patch of No Man’s Sky or the dedication from Path of Exile‘s developers surely deserve this one. Shaking my head at you, Steam users (that includes me to be honest, but I digress).
Other winners of the Steam Awards picked by the community include The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for its impeccable environments, Rainbow Six Siege for outstanding competitive multiplayer, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for its mythological twist on history. Cult favourites CD Projekt Red also received an award for the best developer of the year, releasing Thronebreaker and teasing us endlessly about Cyberpunk 2077.
Despite the worthlessness of popularity contests such as the Steam Awards, it does positively show what the majority enjoyed throughout the year. Marking what players committed their time to and what they respected throughout the year. It is always an interesting exercise. You can see the full line-up and live stream on Steam.
Want to know Checkpoint Gaming’s top games of 2018? Make sure to read our picks online.
