I can't really speak at any length about most of the games that were nominated, as I haven't played the majority of them myself, but I know enough about the finalists to know this list is a sham.

We all know why Baldur's Gate 3 won Game of the Year. It's certainly not for its quality writing, tight mechanics, or overall polish. BG3 won because it pushes The Message™️. The game panders to degenerate fetishism from "big muscle mommy" and "satan is bae" types. I personally voted for Lethal Company. My friends have referred to it as "streamer bait", but it does look fun.

Red Dead Redemption II shouldn't have even been nominated for Labor of Love, let alone won the award. This category is for games with ongoing support from the developer. RDR2 has been abandoned for quite some time now. I haven't played in well over a year, and I still have yet to receive any notification that it needs an update. I voted for Deep Rock Galactic. That's a game that gets ongoing support.

Sons of the Forest was the only game I played out of the Better With Friends category. I wasn't particularly impressed with it. Party Animals got my vote, though I'm sure the rest are decent enough games.

Atomic Heart was my pick for Outstanding Visual Style, but I was mildly surprised to see it had won. I figured the fanatical anti-Russia sentiment would have seen it fall by the wayside. I'm glad it's getting some love. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'd go so far as to say Atomic Heart should have at least been a contender for Best Soundtrack.

Starfield even being nominated for Most Innovative Gameplay is laughable. It follows the same formula Bethesda has been using for years, except somehow less cohesive. I actually do not know anyone who defended this game in good faith. Most people fell on the sword for Bethesda over the pronoun issue, completely unable to argue against the game being generally buggy and unfun. All my friends who have played Starfield have told me it's boring. Even the most dedicated amongst the Bethesda modding community have struggled with this one. My vote was on Shadows of Doubt. It looked unique.

I've never played the original Last of Us, so I don't know whether or not it was worth of winning Best Soundtrack. By all accounts, it seemed like a decent enough game. Most people just seem to dislike the sequel. That being said, I voted for Hi-Fi Rush here.

I can't remark on VR Game of the Year (I don't own any VR headsets), Best Game on Steam Deck (I don't own a Steam Deck), Best Game You Suck At (I'm good at every game ever), Outstanding Story-Rich Game (I've already said my piece on BG3), or Sit Back and Relax awards (I'm physically incapable of relaxing).