The Game Awards 2023, commercially, was a huge success. However, some parties, including the ones receiving the awards for their contributions this year in gaming were wronged. TGA 2023 saw tons of promotions and world reveals of gaming projects, but it lost the premise of what it is meant to do, award 2023 in gaming. Let’s break it down.
Did The Game Awards 2023 go too far with promotions?
The Game Awards are considered the Oscars of the Gaming Industry. Every award show in essence focuses on the creative work that has been done throughout the year. It is traditional for companies to reveal new projects during the show to generate more hype. It has been done for quite a while. However, it got out of control this year to the extent that it cut into the appreciation time of the literal Game of the Year and even more.
After sleeping on it, I feel confident saying The Game Awards is a joke in its current state. Pardon my novel in advance, but I have to get it off my chest.
It’s blatantly self-serving to specific parties, the best example being Geoff himself. Seeing Hideo Kojima talking…
— MrMattyPlays (@G27Status) December 8, 2023
Some people believe that The Awards are biased toward some parties or people more than others. For example, MrMattyPlays on X talks about how Hideo Kojima got to talk about OD with no gameplay or plot to show while the Game of the Year winning Director for Baldur’s Gate got to “wrap it up quickly.” Larian Studio’s CEO Swen Vincke was asked to finish within 30 seconds.
Should This Be the Way Things Go from Now?
The Game Awards are an important part of gaming. They show appreciation to the studios who worked hard each year. In addition, it is a marketing tool for studios to hype up their upcoming projects. Both are important in equal measure. However, when one takes priority over the other, it creates controversy, like this year’s awards.
However, some out there see it the other way around. Take a look.
Funny thing is that I dealt it was best game awards because I have zero interest in minutes of thank you speech. Just don’t care. No one care about celebrities’s speech either have low numbers for Oscar’s.
— Khelari (@RoroRoroChicago) December 8, 2023
There is a huge difference between an Actor’s speech and a speech representing the work of a whole studio. And The Game Awards 2023 promotions might have gone way overboard with the balance.
I mean yeah a couple of devs got cut off too soon but I think the hate for the show is way overboard this year. There was a lot of great new game reveals and genuine hype around the winners of the awards. Idk the pile on seems a bit ridiculous imo
— TheApexHound (@TheApexHound) December 8, 2023
i think, most don’t really care about all the people on stage OR what they say
they’re watching for the trailers, the announcements
u look at the reactions, no one’s going “look who it is!” not really, they’re talking about the trailers
its the same with the movies
— xJamberx (@JamberxX) December 9, 2023
While most do tune in to watch the announcements, it is unfair to not let the people who make the beloved projects that everyone enjoys not let them share their experiences and sorrows in the year. Again, the hate might feel unjustified, but it sprouts from a genuine concern for studios that make Game of the Year titles and entertain millions.
