10.
They almost always miss out at least one of the most obvious choices, most
likely as a way of getting people to write on the forum.
9.
No matter how bad they are you always feel compelled to look at the end to see
what game won.
8.
They normally only include one or two per page so it takes about ten minutes
just to skip to the end.
7.
It is a blatant way of filling space without having to resort to original
content.
6.
They are over used to the point of being completely irrelevant. IGN must
publish about 15 each day.
5.
No matter what the specific category is Zelda or Mario will probably win.
4.
As an industry we have barely been around for more than a quarter of a century
and are arguably still in our infancy, yet we are almost continually patting
our selves on the back for how much we’ve achieve.
3.
No matter how bad a countdown is people always get upset because their
favourite game wasn’t included.
2.
It’s just someone’s opinion and barely ever has properly justified reasons for
the often almost random choices.
1.
The pointlessly grandiose statement ‘of all time’ is a fallacy. This is because
it includes the future as well as the past. To say that something is the best
of all time means that it is not only the best that has so far been created but
it is also better than anything else that will ever be created up until the end
of time. Furthermore, there is an additional inherent assumption that no other
life forms exist in other times or places that also play video games, which may
be better than ours.
If you evaluate the game's scope, genre, mechanics, graphics and many other criterion including the fun factor there is obviously a way to rate that game, and because one person likes the game doesn't mean that you will however it is by a more general opinion that these games are judged and thus the decision is justified. However if these aspects are not taken into account and it is based on one individuals take (which is the case most of the time) many of your points are valid.
From GamesReviews:"Hotel Architect immerses players in the fast-paced, frequently chaotic realm of hotel administration, where visitor satisfaction, logistics, and innovation all come together. This simulation game, created by Pathos Interactive and published in May 2025"
And a greatest games list will always be "controversial" since different people like different genres and games...
I think you have nailed it. They are pretty much useless, nice blog post though.