Gaming’s Oscars

The Game Awards (est. 2014) became gaming’s premier awards show under Geoff Keighley, combining awards with new game announcements. The event grew from niche to mainstream (100M+ viewers 2022), though criticized for prioritizing ads over celebrating games.

Format: 3-hour show mixing awards, world premieres, musical performances

Viewership growth:

• 2014: 2M viewers
• 2019: 45M
• 2022: 103M (across platforms)

Major reveals: Elden Ring, Breath of the Wild 2, Dragon Age 4, countless game announcements

Criticism:

• Awards rushed (30-second speeches)
• Too many ads/trailers
• Industry popularity contest vs. merit
• Geoff Keighley’s conflicts of interest (publisher friendships)

2022 incident: Stage crasher interrupted Elden Ring GOTY speech

Cultural impact: TGA replaced E3 as gaming’s biggest event; publishers save announcements for it

Player choice: Fans vote for categories; sometimes results controversial (Last of Us 2, Overwatch 2 nominees)

TGA represents gaming’s mainstream ambitions and commercial tensions - celebration or advertisement?

Sources:
https://thegameawards.com/
https://www.polygon.com/