The Game Awards

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Game Awards
Awarded forAchievements in the video game industry
VenuePeacock Theater
CountryUnited States
Hosted byGeoff Keighley
Preshow host(s)Sydnee Goodman
First awardedDecember 5, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-12-05)
Websitethegameawards.com

The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry. Established in 2014, the shows are produced and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley, who worked on its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awards, for over ten years.[1] With the permission of Spike, he worked with several video game companies to create the show. In addition to the awards, the Game Awards features premieres of upcoming games and new information on previously-announced titles. The show's reception is generally mixed: it has been lauded for its announcements and criticized for its lack of acknowledgement of events, use of promotional content and its treatment of award winners.

The ceremony is held in the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California.[2] Keighley has been offered on several occasions by television networks to air the show, with him turning them down. The Game Awards has a committee composed of representatives of companies such as Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. They select over a hundred video game press organizations eligible for nomination, and vote on games in the show's categories. Keighley and the committee itself does not participate in voting. Games released before a specific date in November are eligible for nomination. Games releasing after that deadline are eligible for the following year's awards. Most winners are determined by a mixed vote from 90% of the voting jury and 10% of fan votes.

History

Background

Best Action Game award being presented at the Game Awards 2022

In 1994, Canadian games journalist Geoff Keighley had been part of the first televised awards show for video games, Cybermania '94. Keighley, as a teenager, had been brought on to help write material for the celebrity hosts such as William Shatner and Leslie Nielsen. The show was not considered successful, aimed more for comedy than celebration, but he had been prompted from it to develop something akin to the Academy Awards for video games later in his career.[3]

Keighley had subsequently worked on the Spike Video Game Awards (VGA), which ran from 2003 to 2013. The show was broadcast on Spike TV near the end of each calendar year, and was designed to honor video games released during that year. Keighley served as the producer and often host for these shows. While the network had shown strong support for the award show through 2012, having brought Samuel L. Jackson to host the show, Keighley found Spike less interested in pursuing the 2013 show, partially due to the network seeking less male-oriented programming.[4] Spike opted to rename the awards from VGA to VGX as to reflect that they wanted to focus more on next-generation games that were being ushered in by the onset of the eighth generation of consoles, as well as bringing comedian Joel McHale to co-host alongside Keighley.[5] Additionally, the show was reduced to a one-hour presentation, which was first streamed online before airing on television.[4] The 2013 show was considered to be disappointing and aimed as a more commercial work rather than a celebration of video game achievements.[6] Keighley was disappointed with the change in tone that this show has presented.[3] Spike offered to continue the show in 2014, but would be limited to streaming media rather than broadcast.[4] Keighley opted to drop out from further involvement in the VGX, allowing Spike to retain ownership of the property; in November 2014, Spike TV announced that they had opted to drop the awards show in its entirety.[7]

Keighley worked with several entities within the industry, including console hardware manufacturers Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, and several large publishers, to financially back and craft a new awards show, the Game Awards, with Spike's permission.[8] He invested around US$1 million of his own personal funds to support the new show,[4] and was able to secure space at The AXIS theater in Las Vegas for hosting the live event. Without a broadcaster, Keighley and the other producers agreed to live stream the show on the consoles' networks and on Valve's Steam service to be able to reach a much larger audience than Spike TV previously had.[7]

The Game Awards

Geoff Keighley, host of the Game Awards

Since the 2014 show, Keighley has been able to secure the larger Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to host the event. He has worked to partner with multiple streaming services around the globe for the show, which has been a move appreciated by several of the Game Awards' partners since the show's inception.[9] Keighley has been approached by broadcast networks offering to air the show, but he had refused these offers, allowing them to keep the freedom of how they present and structure the show.[10] The 2019 show included a simulcast in partnership with Sony Pictures for select Cinemark movie theaters throughout the United States.[11] The Game Awards 2020 was not held in a live theater due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was instead hosted virtually.[12] The 2021 show was held live again at the Microsoft Theater with a reduced audience due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions.[13]

An illustration of the award statuette, designed by Keighley and Weta Workshop

Keighley considered it important that the Game Awards are aimed to favorably present the interest of gamers and the industry at large, as well as being welcoming to celebrities and others that have shown interest in video games.[9] While the Game Awards are principally an awards show, Keighley knew the importance of having additional content, having seen other experiments of video game awards shows that were only dedicated to awards fail due to lack of audience.[14] Keighley believed that the Game Awards should fall somewhere between the entertainment venues that are used for the Academy Awards and the standard award presentation used for the Game Developers Choice Awards, and wanted a balance of material.[9] Through the Spike VGX and into the Game Awards, Keighley has engaged with games studios to bring reveals of new games alongside the awards. He considers the crowning moment of this approach was being able to secure the first gameplay reveal of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at the Game Awards 2014.[14] Keighly encourages game studios to provide any content that might be deemed exciting or that can pique interest, even if these games are at an early stage of development, and then makes the selection of which games and trailers to feature.[14] Keighley subsequently works with those studios about how to best position their trailers to have the most impact; for example, in the 2018 show, he and Nintendo worked on a trailer reveal for the Persona 5 character Joker in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that appeared to start as a teaser for a new game in the series.[15][16]

Since the show's launch, Keighley has solicited input from fans on how to improve the show, typically while at trade shows and conventions in months ahead of the show. For 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing cancellations of many of these events, Keighley invited about one hundred fans to private chats with himself and other top organizers of the program to help solicit their input.[17] The Game Awards were still held in 2020 and 2021, though with a limited invited audience for the latter and limited interactions of hosts, presenters and nominees due to restrictions set by California and Los Angeles in regards to large gatherings in indoor spaces. The 2022 show returned to a full live audience as these government restrictions were since lifted.[18]

In conjunction with the show, digital storefronts such as Steam, Xbox Games Store, Nintendo eShop, and PlayStation Store offer the nominated games on sale leading up to and a few days after the event.[19] The statuette awarded to the selected games was designed by collaboration between Keighley and Weta Workshop. It is meant to represent "the evolution of the video game medium by way of an angel that ascends through digital building blocks".[20][21] In 2019, a Game Festival featuring demos of upcoming games was held on Steam.[22] In 2021, Keighley hosted the podcast Inside the Game Awards in partnership with Spotify.[23] In June 2023, Keighley hosted The Game Awards 10-Year Celebration, a performance of video game music at the Hollywood Bowl by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[24]

Shows

List of Game Awards
Event Date Game of the Year Venue Viewers
(millions)
2014 December 5 Dragon Age: Inquisition The AXIS (Las Vegas) 1.9[25]
2015 December 3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Microsoft Theater (Los Angeles) 2.3[25]
2016 December 1 Overwatch 3.8[26]
2017 December 7 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 11.5[27]
2018 December 6 God of War 26.2[28]
2019 December 12 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice 45.2[29]
2020 December 10 The Last of Us Part II Virtual event[a] 83[30]
2021 December 9 It Takes Two Microsoft Theater (Los Angeles) 85[31]
2022 December 8 Elden Ring 103[32]
2023 December 7 Baldur's Gate 3 Peacock Theater (Los Angeles) 118[33]
2024 December 12 Astro Bot
2025 December 11[34]

Process

The Game Awards has an advisory committee which includes representatives from hardware manufacturers Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and AMD, along with several game publishers. This committee selects game news organizations that are able to nominate and subsequently vote on the video games in several categories. The advisory committee otherwise does not participate in the nomination or voting process. During the nomination round, each of the news outlets provides a list of games in several categories; games for the esports-related categories are chosen by a specific subset of these outlets. The committee compiles the nominations and selects the most-nominated games for voting by these same outlets.[35] Prior to 2017, there were 28 industry experts and representatives that selected the winners, while the awards from 2017 onwards have used over 50 such experts.[36] In 2019, non-English media publications were added to the jury.[37] As of 2024, there are over one hundred media publications around the world that were chosen as juries. Winners are determined by a blended vote between the voting jury (90%) and public fan voting (10%) via social platforms and the show's website.[38]

Generally, only games released before a specific date in November are eligible for being nominated in the year's awards. As the jury must make their nominations in the weeks prior to this date, this may leave some anticipated games that are scheduled for release just before that date to be underrepresented in the nominations, since the jury must go by pre-release review copies and not the final version.[39] Any games releasing after the November deadline (which varies every year) are eligible for the next year's ceremony.[40] Game expansions, seasonal content, downloadable content, remakes, and remasters are also eligible across all award categories.[41]

Categories

Video games and media

Current categories
Categories First awarded
Game of the Year 2014[42]
Best Independent Game
Best Mobile Game[b]
Best Narrative
Best Score and Music[c]
Best Performance
Games for Impact[d]
Best Action/Adventure Game
Best Role Playing Game
Best Fighting Game
Best Family Game
Best Sports/Racing Game
Best Multiplayer[e]
Most Anticipated Game[f]
Best Art Direction 2015[43]
Best Game Direction[g] 2016[44]
Best VR/AR Game[h]
Best Action Game
Best Sim/Strategy Game[i]
Best Audio Design[j] 2017[46]
Best Ongoing Game
Best Debut Indie Game[k]
Best Community Support 2019[52]
Players' Voice[l]
Innovation in Accessibility 2020[53]
Best Adaptation 2022[54]
Discontinued categories
Categories First awarded Last awarded
Best Remaster 2014[42] 2014[49]
Best Shooter[m] 2015[50]
Developer of the Year[n]
Best Student Game[o] 2017[46] 2018[56]

Esports and creators

Current categories
Categories First awarded
Best Esports Athlete[p] 2014[42]
Best Esports Team[q]
Best Esports Game[r] 2015[43]
Content Creator of the Year[s] 2018[47]
Discontinued categories
Categories First awarded Last awarded
Best Fan Creation 2014[42] 2016[59]
Trending Gamer[t] 2017[60]
Chinese Fan Game Award 2017[46]
Best Esports Moment 2018[47] 2018[61]
Best Esports Host 2020[62]
Best Esports Coach 2023[63]
Best Esports Event

Honorary awards

Categories First awarded Last awarded
Industry Icon Award 2014[42] 2018[64]
Global Gaming Citizens[s][u] 2018[58]
Future Class 2020[66] 2023[67]
Game Changer 2024[68]

Reception

The show has received praise for its announcements.[69] However, commentators have criticized the Game Awards for being overly promotional and commercialized.[70][71][72] The ratio of time spent on honoring awards winners compared to advertisements for upcoming games is a common point of criticism.[73][74][75] After news of Activision Blizzard's sexual misconduct scandal broke, Keighley opened the 2021 awards show with a statement denouncing abuse in the industry.[76] The statement was criticized for failing to refer to Activision Blizzard by name and appearing to be designed to preserve "valuable industry relationships" over taking a more meaningful stance.[77][78] The incident raised questions about the show's close relationship with the industry and unwillingness to paint business partners in a bad light.[75] The 2023 ceremony was criticized for allowing celebrity guests several minutes to speak while winners were allocated thirty seconds before being prompted to "wrap it up" and cut off by music.[79][80][81]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  2. ^ Presented as Best Mobile/Handheld Game from 2014 to 2016,[42][43][44] and split into two categories (Best Mobile Game and Best Handheld Game) in 2017[45]
  3. ^ Presented as Best Score/Soundtrack in 2014 and 2015,[42][43] Best Music/Sound Design in 2016,[44] and Best Score/Music from 2017 to 2019[46][47][48]
  4. ^ Presented as Games for Change in 2014[42]
  5. ^ Presented as Best Online Experience in 2014[49]
  6. ^ Not presented in 2018 and 2019[47][48]
  7. ^ Adapted from Developer of the Year[50]
  8. ^ Presented as Best VR Game in 2016[44]
  9. ^ Presented as Best Strategy Game from 2014 to 2019[42][43][44][46][47][48]
  10. ^ Previously presented as part of Best Music/Sound Design in 2016[44]
  11. ^ Presented as Fresh Indie Game in 2019[48] and Best Debut Game in 2020[51]
  12. ^ Presented as Player's Voice in 2019 and 2020[48][51]
  13. ^ Replaced by Best Action Game
  14. ^ Adapted into Best Game Direction[50]
  15. ^ Presented as Student Game Award in 2017[55]
  16. ^ Presented as Esports Player of the Year from 2014 to 2016[42][43][44] and Best Esports Player from 2017 to 2019[46][47][48] and 2021[57]
  17. ^ Presented as Esports Team of the Year from 2014 to 2016[42][43][44]
  18. ^ Presented as Esports Game of the Year from 2014 to 2016[42][43][44]
  19. ^ Split into Content Creator of the Year and Global Gaming Citizens[58]
  20. ^ Not presented in 2022 and 2023[65][63]

References

  1. ^ Takahashi, Dean (November 10, 2014). "Geoff Keighley unveils The Game Awards 2014 to replace the VGAs". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "The Game Awards 2024 date confirmed for December". VGC. August 21, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Martens, Todd (December 6, 2017). "Geoff Keighley's lifelong obsession to create a video game Oscars". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d Wingfield, Nick (November 8, 2015). "Video Game Awards Go Independent and Online". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Sarkar, Samit (November 15, 2013). "Spike Video Game Awards renamed VGX, set for Dec. 7". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  6. ^ Good, Owen (December 8, 2013). "Gamers Care More About the VGX Than the Show Did. That's the Problem". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Graser, Marc (November 10, 2014). "Videogame Industry Rallies Around First 'Game Awards'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  8. ^ Schreier, Jason (November 10, 2014). "There's A Big New Game Award Show Happening This December". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c Takahashi, Dean (December 6, 2017). "The Game Awards balances revelations, gamer culture, and celebrities". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  10. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (December 6, 2018). "Seeing the past and future of gaming through The Game Awards". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  11. ^ Spangler, Todd (November 14, 2019). "Game Awards 2019 to Play on 53 Cinemark Screens Alongside 'Jumanji: The Next Level'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Watts, Steve (August 24, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 Still Moving Forward". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  13. ^ Clayton, Natalie (June 10, 2021). "The Game Awards will be held in front of a live audience this year". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Schreier, Jason (November 30, 2017). "How Video Games' Biggest Award Show Comes Together". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  15. ^ Schreier, Jason (December 13, 2018). "How The Game Awards' Big Announcements Came Together". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  16. ^ Hester, Blake (December 11, 2018). "The making of The Game Awards 2018". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  17. ^ Stedman, Alex (November 25, 2020). "How The Game Awards' Fans Helped Build This Year's Ceremony". Variety. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  18. ^ Gerblick, Jordan (September 30, 2022). "The Game Awards will have a live audience for the first time in 3 years". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  19. ^ Saed, Sherif (December 7, 2017). "Xbox One stealth sale has great prices on FIFA 18, Call of Duty: WW2, Shadow of War, much more". VG247. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  20. ^ "About the Game Awards". The Game Awards. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  21. ^ The Game Awards 2016 - Behind the Scenes at WETA!. The Game Awards. November 20, 2016. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  22. ^ Goslin, Austen (December 11, 2019). "The Game Awards offers an E3-esque buffet of Steam demos for unreleased games". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  23. ^ LeBlanc, Wesley. "Geoff Keighley Hosting 'Inside The Game Awards' Podcast In New Partnership With Spotify". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  24. ^ Martens, Todd (December 8, 2022). "The Game Awards to stage a musical production at the Hollywood Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Crecente, Brian (December 6, 2016). "The Game Awards audience up 65 percent to 3.8M". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  26. ^ Crecente, Brian (December 6, 2016). "The Game Awards audience up 65 percent to 3.8M". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  27. ^ Crecente, Brian (December 12, 2017). "The Game Awards Audience Triples to 11.5 Million Livestreams in 2017". Glixel. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  28. ^ Takahashi, Dean (December 12, 2018). "The Game Awards doubles viewership to 26 million livestreams". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  29. ^ Stedman, Alex (December 18, 2019). "Geoff Keighley Looks to The Game Awards' Future as 2019 Show Delivers Record Numbers". Variety. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  30. ^ Stedman, Alex (December 17, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 Show Hits Record Viewership With 83 Million Livestreams". Variety. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  31. ^ Rosario, Alexandra Del (December 20, 2021). "The Game Awards Reaches New Viewership High With 85M Livestreams". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  32. ^ Zhang, Jenny (December 16, 2022). "The Game Awards 2022 Received Over 103 Million Views, Sets New Viewership Record". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  33. ^ Spangler, Todd (December 14, 2023). "The Game Awards 2023 Breaks Viewership Record, Notching 118 Million Livestreams". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  34. ^ McDonald, Cheyanne (December 14, 2024). "The Game Awards has already set a date for its 2025 show". Engadget. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  35. ^ "The Game Awards – Rules and Voting". The Game Awards. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  36. ^ Spangler, Todd (November 10, 2017). "2017 Game Awards Expands Distribution, Adds Fan Voting via Google Search, Twitter, Facebook". Variety. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  37. ^ "Voting Jury | The Game Awards". Voting Jury | The Game Awards. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  38. ^ "FAQ | The Game Awards". FAQ | The Game Awards. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  39. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (November 18, 2020). "Why some of 2020's big games didn't get Game Awards nominations". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  40. ^ Awards, The Game. "The Game Awards". The Game Awards. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  41. ^ Blake, Vikki (November 17, 2024). ""Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes and remasters are eligible" for this year's The Game Awards". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Sarkar, Samit (November 21, 2014). "Here are the nominees for The Game Awards 2014". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h Sarkar, Samit (November 13, 2015). "Here are the nominees for The Game Awards 2015". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  44. ^ a b c d e f g h i Reeves, Ben (December 1, 2016). "The Game Awards 2016 – Winners, News, And Reveals". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  45. ^ Cowley, Ric (November 14, 2017). "Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes receive Best Mobile Game nominations at The Game Awards 2017". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  46. ^ a b c d e f Alexander, Julia (December 7, 2017). "The Game Awards crowns The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild best game of 2017". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  47. ^ a b c d e f Chalk, Andy (November 13, 2018). "The Game Awards 2018 nominations have been announced". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  48. ^ a b c d e f Shanley, Patrick (November 19, 2019). "The Game Awards Reveals Full List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Valence Media. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  49. ^ a b Monroe, David (November 16, 2015). "The Game Awards 2015: Official Nominations Announced". Screen Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  50. ^ a b c Keach, Sean (December 2, 2016). "Game Awards 2016: Here's the full list of winners and nominees". Trusted Reviews. Incisive Media. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  51. ^ a b Bailey, Dustin (November 18, 2020). "Hades and Last of Us Part II lead the Game Awards 2020 nominees". PCGamesN. Network N. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  52. ^ Glennon, Jen (December 11, 2019). "Geoff Keighley is the nicest power player in video games". Inverse. Bustle Digital Group. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  53. ^ Takahashi, Dean (September 23, 2020). "The Game Awards arrives December 10 with new accessibility honor". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  54. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 22, 2022). "The Game Awards Sets 2022 Date, Introduces Best Adaptation Category". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  55. ^ McCarthy, Caty (December 7, 2017). "Meet the Students Who Are Getting Their Big Break at Tonight's Game Awards". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  56. ^ Grant, Christopher (December 6, 2018). "The Game Awards 2018: Here are all of the winners". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  57. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (November 16, 2021). "The Game Awards Nominees: 'Deathloop,' 'Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart' Lead 2021 List". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  58. ^ a b c Takahashi, Dean (November 9, 2018). "The Game Awards interview — Geoff Keighley readies gaming's biggest gala". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  59. ^ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (November 16, 2016). "The Game Awards 2016: Doom, Overwatch, more up for Game of the Year - here's the full list nominees". VG247. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  60. ^ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (November 14, 2017). "The Game Awards 2017 GOTY nominees include: Wolfenstein 2, Horizon: Zero Dawn, PUBG, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, more". VG247. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  61. ^ Chapman, Blake (November 19, 2019). "2019 Game Awards nominees announced". Ball State Daily. Ball State University. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  62. ^ Park, Gene (November 18, 2020). "Here are the nominees for The Game Awards 2020". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  63. ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (December 7, 2023). "All The Game Awards 2023 Winners Revealed". GameSpot. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  64. ^ Molina, Mike Snider and Brett (December 6, 2018). "The Game Awards: the highlights, premieres and winners at the video game industry's big night". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  65. ^ Kerr, Chris (December 9, 2022). "Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok dominate The Game Awards 2022". Game Developer. Informa. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  66. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (December 10, 2020). "The Game Awards announces inaugural Future Class". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  67. ^ Francis, Bryant (November 14, 2024). "Why hasn't The Game Awards announced a Future Class for 2024?". Game Developer. Informa. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  68. ^ Bailey, Kat (December 12, 2024). "First Ever Game Changers Award Goes to Amir Satvat for Work in Helping Laid Off Game Devs Find Work – The Game Awards 2024". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  69. ^ Takahashi, Dean (December 11, 2020). "The DeanBeat: The Game Awards show gaming's past and future". VentureBeat. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  70. ^ Schreier, Jason (December 8, 2023). "Biggest Video-Game Awards Ceremony Is Heavy on Promotion, Light on Awards". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  71. ^ Stanton, Rich (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards is becoming the biggest single gaming event of the year". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  72. ^ Gordon, Lewis (December 9, 2022). "The Game awards: three patience-testing hours of video game advertorials". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  73. ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (December 7, 2018). "The Game Awards has made its peace with what it can and can't do". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  74. ^ Szpytek, Peter Hunt (December 13, 2021). "The Game Awards 2022 Should Lean More Into Industry Recognition". Game Rant. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  75. ^ a b Gordon, Lewis (December 8, 2022). "How Geoff Keighley Became Gaming's Master of Ceremonies". The Ringer. Spotify. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  76. ^ Phillips, Tom (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards begins with brief statement on industry and online abuse". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  77. ^ Gach, Ethan (December 9, 2021). "Geoff Keighley Opens Game Awards With Disappointing Vagueness". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  78. ^ Stanton, Rich (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards is becoming the biggest single gaming event of the year". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  79. ^ Bell, Alice (December 8, 2023). "We don't have to be polite about The Game Awards or pretend it actually cares". Rock Paper Shotgun. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  80. ^ Stedman, Alex (December 8, 2023). "The Game Awards Criticized for Giving Winners Little Time to Speak Amid Silence on Industry Layoffs". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  81. ^ Barker, Sammy (December 8, 2023). "The Game Awards Is Getting Ripped for Urging Award Winners to Wrap It Up". Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.