Cheesemeister
Member
It's time! Voting for GAF's Games of the Year 2014 has begun.
Your hosts are timetokill and I. The rules have been adjusted this year for clarity and focus. You can read a breakdown of the rule changes here.
The official rules and sample ballot are below. If you do not follow the rules, your vote may not be counted. You have been warned.
2014 Voting Rules
Voting Ends: Friday, January 16, 2015 at 8:59pm PST / 11:59pm EST. No extensions. No exceptions. Here's a countdown clock.
Sample Ballot
Ready to vote? Get started quickly by copying and pasting the ballot below into your reply.
To ensure the parser correctly tabulates your ballot, please follow this format as closely as possible.
1. Game A ; Your thoughts on Game A.
2. Game B ; Your thoughts on Game B.
3. Game C ; Your thoughts on Game C.
4. Game D ; Your thoughts on Game D.
5. Game E ; Your thoughts on Game E.
6. Game F ; Your thoughts on Game F.
7. Game G ; Your thoughts on Game G.
8. Game H ; Your thoughts on Game H.
9. Game I ; Your thoughts on Game I.
10. Game J ; Your thoughts on Game J.
Honorable Mentions
x. Game K ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game K.
x. Game L ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game L.
Ballot Scoring
Note that while all points will be tallied, only NEW playable content will be eligible for GOTY and Genre Award consideration.
All content is eligible for Platform Award consideration. Re-releases, ports, and other content will be awarded in their own category.
1. Game A ; 4 points
2. Game B ; 3 points
3. Game C ; 3 points
4. Game D ; 2 points
5. Game E ; 2 points
6. Game F ; 2 points
7. Game G ; 1 point
8. Game H ; 1 point
9. Game I ; 1 point
10. Game J ; 1 point
x. Game K ; 0 points
x. Game L; 0 points
Honorable mentions will not receive points, but they will be tracked and used for tiebreakers, assuming you list them appropriately.
----- Game Eligibility Rules -----
Eligible games:
Queried Eligible Games: P.T.
Queried Ineligible Games: Broforce
Please note that Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U are counted separately, while Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are counted together.
----- FAQ -----
Is (insert game here) eligible?
1. First, check the spreadsheet list of eligible nominated games. Note that this list isn't necessarily comprehensive, but if it's on there, you're good.
2. Not on there? Check the confirmed eligible and ineligible games listed above.
3. If a game you want isn't listed there either, and you're SURE about it, just post it in your ballot. We'll automatically add it to the list. If you're not sure, shoot me or timetokill a PM and we'll get it sorted out.
Can I talk about somebody else's list?
Discussion is encouraged! Want to talk about another poster’s list? Quote it. Any unquoted ballots (those outside a quote block) will overwrite your own previous vote.
Can I use images in my ballot? I want it to be BEAUTIFUL!
Absolutely you can, but all numbering and formatting must happen as indicated in the sample ballot above, meaning your numbers cannot be within the image itself. Here are some examples of beautiful, law-abiding ballots from last year: TheBigG753, Xilium, megalowho. Or check out Stumpopakow's wonderful list of wonderful ballots.
My ballot is too long! Can I split it into two posts?
You should NOT split your ballot into two, because the parser won't read it correctly. What you should do is make sure that your "official" list is somewhere in your posts, and that the rest does not conflict. For example, check Dark Schala's short novel from last year's voting. The official ballot is appropriately listed at the end.
I want to change my list. Do I have to make a new post?
No, you can simply edit your original vote up until the deadline.
My ballot was disqualified! Why?
Most likely, you didn't follow the rules above. What you probably did: You didn't number things correctly. You didn't write any comments. You listed the same game more than once. You didn't follow the formatting rules.
What happened to LTTP voting?
It's been discontinued. We weren't getting particularly useful data from this. If you want the best games of last year, check last year's GOTY Awards thread here.
Can I order my list from 10 to 1?
Yes, but this may increase the chances of you accidentally skipping a place and invalidating your ballot.
Happy voting, everyone!
Your hosts are timetokill and I. The rules have been adjusted this year for clarity and focus. You can read a breakdown of the rule changes here.
The official rules and sample ballot are below. If you do not follow the rules, your vote may not be counted. You have been warned.
2014 Voting Rules
- You may vote for any playable content released in 2014.
- The current spreadsheet of nominated games can be found here.
- You may list up to 10 games for your ballot. The games must be numbered, and consecutively listed in numerical order from 1 to 10.
- Games must be listed using their full name. Abbreviated entries will not be counted.
- You must have at least one comment in your ballot or it may not be counted. The comment must be more substantial than "GOTF lol" or what have you. Posting without comments may also subject you to a ban.
- Comments on games must begin on the same line as the game title itself, following a semicolon (
- You may list any number of honorable mentions in your ballot, and these must be indicated by an "x."
Voting Ends: Friday, January 16, 2015 at 8:59pm PST / 11:59pm EST. No extensions. No exceptions. Here's a countdown clock.
Sample Ballot
Ready to vote? Get started quickly by copying and pasting the ballot below into your reply.
To ensure the parser correctly tabulates your ballot, please follow this format as closely as possible.
1. Game A ; Your thoughts on Game A.
2. Game B ; Your thoughts on Game B.
3. Game C ; Your thoughts on Game C.
4. Game D ; Your thoughts on Game D.
5. Game E ; Your thoughts on Game E.
6. Game F ; Your thoughts on Game F.
7. Game G ; Your thoughts on Game G.
8. Game H ; Your thoughts on Game H.
9. Game I ; Your thoughts on Game I.
10. Game J ; Your thoughts on Game J.
Honorable Mentions
x. Game K ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game K.
x. Game L ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game L.
Ballot Scoring
Note that while all points will be tallied, only NEW playable content will be eligible for GOTY and Genre Award consideration.
All content is eligible for Platform Award consideration. Re-releases, ports, and other content will be awarded in their own category.
1. Game A ; 4 points
2. Game B ; 3 points
3. Game C ; 3 points
4. Game D ; 2 points
5. Game E ; 2 points
6. Game F ; 2 points
7. Game G ; 1 point
8. Game H ; 1 point
9. Game I ; 1 point
10. Game J ; 1 point
x. Game K ; 0 points
x. Game L; 0 points
Honorable mentions will not receive points, but they will be tracked and used for tiebreakers, assuming you list them appropriately.
----- Game Eligibility Rules -----
Eligible games:
- Playable content released this year is eligible. This includes new games, remasters, ports, and so on.
- DLC, including expansion packs, are eligible to be voted on as long as it's playable. Mario Kart DLC Pack 1 is eligible. Horse Armor is not.
- Episodes of games released this year are eligible.
Queried Eligible Games: P.T.
Queried Ineligible Games: Broforce
Please note that Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U are counted separately, while Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are counted together.
----- FAQ -----
Is (insert game here) eligible?
1. First, check the spreadsheet list of eligible nominated games. Note that this list isn't necessarily comprehensive, but if it's on there, you're good.
2. Not on there? Check the confirmed eligible and ineligible games listed above.
3. If a game you want isn't listed there either, and you're SURE about it, just post it in your ballot. We'll automatically add it to the list. If you're not sure, shoot me or timetokill a PM and we'll get it sorted out.
Can I talk about somebody else's list?
Discussion is encouraged! Want to talk about another poster’s list? Quote it. Any unquoted ballots (those outside a quote block) will overwrite your own previous vote.
Can I use images in my ballot? I want it to be BEAUTIFUL!
Absolutely you can, but all numbering and formatting must happen as indicated in the sample ballot above, meaning your numbers cannot be within the image itself. Here are some examples of beautiful, law-abiding ballots from last year: TheBigG753, Xilium, megalowho. Or check out Stumpopakow's wonderful list of wonderful ballots.
My ballot is too long! Can I split it into two posts?
You should NOT split your ballot into two, because the parser won't read it correctly. What you should do is make sure that your "official" list is somewhere in your posts, and that the rest does not conflict. For example, check Dark Schala's short novel from last year's voting. The official ballot is appropriately listed at the end.
I want to change my list. Do I have to make a new post?
No, you can simply edit your original vote up until the deadline.
My ballot was disqualified! Why?
Most likely, you didn't follow the rules above. What you probably did: You didn't number things correctly. You didn't write any comments. You listed the same game more than once. You didn't follow the formatting rules.
What happened to LTTP voting?
It's been discontinued. We weren't getting particularly useful data from this. If you want the best games of last year, check last year's GOTY Awards thread here.
Can I order my list from 10 to 1?
Yes, but this may increase the chances of you accidentally skipping a place and invalidating your ballot.
Happy voting, everyone!