The annual gaming jamboree that is The Golden Joysticks was held last night, the longstanding awards show that is decided by public votes and hands out gongs to the best of our industry. This year's spectacle also tied-into the 50th anniversary of Computer Space, the first commercial video game, and added two categories for the occasion: Best Gaming Hardware of All Time and Ultimate Game of All Time.
Naturally, we all know what won the former. You know, right? It's PC. PC is best. And to prove it the Joysticks rolled out none other than Gabe Newell himself.
The big winner of the Ultimate Game of All Time was Fromsoft's Dark Souls. These categories are obviously always pure argument-fodder, and the idea of one game to rule them all is a bit like declaring a best book of all time, but it's fun to make those arguments anyway. What I especially respect about Dark Souls is its refusal to condescend to the player, how it expects us to and rewards us for adapting, how it presents a world that unfurls so gradually and holds such revelations. And building glass cannon mages to take out gank squads in PvP. Here's the award clip:
The awards received millions of votes, so these are pretty much as good a snapshot of public opinion on this year's offerings as you'll get. Happy on the night were Capcom, who picked up 4 Golden Joysticks for the excellent Resident Evil: Village and another for Best Studio. Best PC Game was Hitman 3 (good choice!) and Final Fantasy 14 picked up two awards for its community and longevity. The full list is below (thanks, GamesRadar+), and the show itself at the top of the article.
Golden Joystick Award Winners 2021
- Best Storytelling - Life is Strange: True Colors
- Best Multiplayer Game - It Takes Two
- Best Audio - Resident Evil: Village
- Best Visual Design - Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- Best Game Expansion - Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island Expansion
- Mobile Game of the Year - League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Best Gaming Hardware - PS5
- Best Indie Game - Death's Door
- Studio of the Year - Capcom
- Best Performer - Maggie Robertson (Lady Dimitrescu)
- Breakthrough Award - Housemarque
- Best Game Community - Final Fantasy 14
- Still Playing Award - Final Fantasy 14
- PC Game of the Year - Hitman 3
- Nintendo Game of the Year - Metroid Dread
- Xbox Game of the Year - Psychonauts 2
- PlayStation Game of the Year - Resident Evil Village
- Most Wanted Game - Elden Ring
- Critics Choice Award - Deathloop
- Ultimate Game of the Year - Resident Evil Village
- Ultimate Hardware of All Time - PC
- Ultimate Game of All Time - Dark Souls
