It/that is one of the most surprising things I've heard today - can we use "it" from the very beginning?

Question

Usually, people use "this" or "that" to refer to something and then use "it" to refer to that something.

What if we use "it" from the beginning instead of using "this" or "that" first.

Does that kind of usage imply "this" or "that" because of the clear context so that we can just use "it"?

Example 1

A: I received a scholarship for the graduate program.

B: It is one of the most surprising things I've heard today.

Example 2

A: Oh my goodness. It is the newest shooter game. I want to buy it.

Example 3

A: I received a scholarship for the graduate program.

B: I will not call it an achievement to be proud of.

Answer 1

Pronouns usually require antecedents, so it¹ would be unusual to use "it" without knowing what it referred to.

In examples 1 and 3, "it" seems to refer to the entire preceding clause, so the pronoun "that" would work better.

In sentence 2, "it" could work if you were pointing directly at a game so that the listener could see it.

Note 1: This "it" does not require an antecedent because it is a dummy pronoun.

Answer 2

The use of "this," "that" and "it" is tricky - there's a post on it here that provides a brief introduction but doesn't cover the seemingly infinite nuances within the topic: it VS. this Vs. that

In examples 1 and 3, the use of "it" in B's responses is so unnatural that I'd go as far as to call it wrong. Use "that" instead, which is commonly used in spoken English to refer to something for the first time. (I could come up with a scenario in which "it" makes sense here, but that scenario is so remote that it's not worth getting into.)

In example 2, you could use any of these three words, depending on what you want to convey:

Oh my goodness. This is the newest shooter game. I want to buy it. (Probably works best if you are physically close to the game or an image of the game.)

Oh my goodness. That's the newest shooter game. I want to buy it. (You're probably farther away from the game.)

Oh my goodness. It's the newest shooter game. I want to buy it. (Can work in either of the cases above, but conveys a stronger sense that you're just now noticing that the game is present or available.)

Notice that the "it" in the third example might be considered a "dummy," though I'll leave that terminological point to the grammar experts to sort out. In any case, it's the same sort of "it" that's used in "Oh my God, it's Marcia." You'd use that sentence to express surprise if, for example, you went to a party and noticed Marcia was there. You would obviously never otherwise use "it" to refer to a human being - i.e., you'd never say "I can't believe it came to the party."