As the 2026 Game of the Year (GOTY) race heats up with high-profile October releases, Brian David Gilbert’s video, “Scientifically calculating the game of the year | Unraveled,” remains a point of interest in the gaming community. The video is a reminder of a time when the industry’s top honors were decided not by committees, but by an increasingly frantic mathematical formula.
The video was produced during Gilbert’s tenure as an editor for Polygon. It attempted to solve the subjective nature of awards by introducing the “Big Determinant of Game” (BDG), a custom measurement unit designed to quantify excellence through specific, albeit absurd, variables.
The Math of the ‘Big Determinant of Game’
The “scientific” approach centers on a series of rigorous—and often contradictory—metrics. While most critics weigh narrative depth or technical fidelity, the “Unraveled” formula famously accounted for the cultural footprint of a title. This included the “Funko Pop Penalty,” where a game’s final score was reduced if the merchandise brand had produced figures based on the property. According to the logic of the investigation, the existence of such collectibles served as a negative variable indicating corporate oversaturation.
Through this methodology, the formula eventually crowned Fortnite as the 2018 Game of the Year. The conclusion was based largely on the game’s massive popularity at the time, a fact that remains relevant in 2026 as the title continues to maintain its status as a dominant cultural force. The irony of the formula’s result—elevating a mass-market battle royale over critical darlings like Celeste—remains the central joke of the series’ enduring legacy.
A Changed Media Landscape
The video exists within a significantly different media environment than its debut. Polygon, the outlet that originally hosted Gilbert’s work, was acquired by Valnet in May 2025, marking a transition point for the publication that helped launch the series. Gilbert himself departed the outlet in 2020, moving on to a variety of independent and collaborative projects.
Gilbert currently serves as a prominent cast member for the streaming platform Dropout. He specifically acts as the fact-checker for the ninth season of Um, Actually, a trivia show centered on nerdom and technicalities. Despite his career shift, his “scientific” GOTY formula continues to be cited by fans as the 2026 awards cycle begins, particularly as titles like Ghost of Yotei and Gears of War: E-Day enter the conversation. While those games lack the specific context of the original video, the “Big Determinant of Game” remains a benchmark for the absurdity often found in year-end rankings.
