I would like to think of variants being featured just as a sign of recognition, nothing more.
It's about more than just recognizing a game. It's also about showcasing a well-presented page for a game that has already received some favorable recognition and is available to be played by the person visiting the page.
If a game is popular enough, and/or has some weight on its own, it can be featured. With repeats being acceptable, that will be the most trivial way of managing this feature.
Trivial, but not as participatory. The present system avoids concentrating too much power in the hands of one person. However, if we run out of eligible games that have been nominated and seconded, it would be fair to feature an eligible game that has shown other signs of popularity, such as being favorited or played a lot. In this case, though, I should be restricted from picking one of my own variants. I also suppose that if no games have been seconded, but some have been nominated, I should give priority to those if any are eligible.
It's about more than just recognizing a game. It's also about showcasing a well-presented page for a game that has already received some favorable recognition and is available to be played by the person visiting the page.
Trivial, but not as participatory. The present system avoids concentrating too much power in the hands of one person. However, if we run out of eligible games that have been nominated and seconded, it would be fair to feature an eligible game that has shown other signs of popularity, such as being favorited or played a lot. In this case, though, I should be restricted from picking one of my own variants. I also suppose that if no games have been seconded, but some have been nominated, I should give priority to those if any are eligible.