Arranging dominos in a 5x5 grid is harder than it should be, when you're trying to maximize points one domino at a time. I start off with a great plan, but by the end: d'oh, last one won't fit!
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiel_des_Jahres#2017_awards
Also not super impressed with: > Fog of Love is available exclusively from Walmart for some reason
Not all of the good games in 2017 necessarily even qualify for the Spiel des Jahres or the Kennerspiel des Jahres. E.g. Gloomhaven, 7th Continent.
SdJ isn't always right, but still a better choice for best game of the year than J. Random Blogger's pick.
Also, one should consider group dynamics. Who's to say if everyone on that panel valued the game that won equally? Perhaps they all had their personal favourites, but chose a different game as it was the least contentious. All you can really say about a decision made by a panel is that it was the best decision they could make on aggregate, not that it was a true reflection of individual preferences.
All that aside, "best game of 2017" is really just "best game I played in 2017". I honestly don't know when we're collectively going to grow past handling subjective comments in an objective way, but I hope its soon.
Spiel des Jahres is a prize for Germany in the same way the Nobel Prize is for Sweden.