The Game Awards are always going to be something that is hotly debated for various reasons. But one thing that you must give them, even if you don’t want to, is that because of their platform and being streamed all over the place, they have done incredible numbers from when they started in 2014. They got 1.9 million viewers that first year, which isn’t too bad considering the period. But when you fast forward to 2023, you see just how big things have gotten, as the latest show had 118 million viewers worldwide. That’s a 15% increase from the previous year and proof that the show is still growing.
As one would expect, the official handle for The Game Awards and its showrunner, Geoff Keighley, were quick to praise this development and thank everyone who watched it:
While it’s fair to “give them their flowers” for getting such numbers, you’ll see a recurring trend if you look at the comment sections for both posts. Specifically, you’ll see people praising the numbers but asking for big changes with the show.
To recap, the 2023 show was three hours and thirty-seven minutes long, and yet the award winners only got to speak about their victories for a COMBINED ten minutes. Many people called out Geoff Keighley for his lack of empathy on certain “dark matters” in the gaming industry via his complete ignoring of it and only saying that “2023 was an epic year for gaming.”
Others blasted the show for focusing more on the celebrities who were there or for weird bits that took away from the award winners. Larian Studios, who won “Game of Year,” had only thirty seconds to give their acceptance speech, so the studio head posted the full speech on Twitter.
That might have you asking, “If the show is that bad, why do people keep watching it?” There are many answers to that, but the basic ones are “timing” and “what they hope to see.” The Game Awards are strategically positioned during the year so they do not conflict with anything. It’s generally in the point of December when there’s not much competition TV-wise, nor are there other gaming events to draw away attention.
Plus, whether you care for the reveals or not, the show has become one of the big places to see new things, and we did get that this year.
The problem is that despite it being an “awards show,” Geoff Keighley has taken the spotlight away from the actual developers, and that’s why many are calling for change.
