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/