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What is The Game Awards?
The Game Awards is an annual event celebrating the best titles in the video game industry, often referred to as the “Oscars of gaming.” Established in 2014 by media entrepreneur and Game Awards host, Geoff Keighley, the show serves as a major industry highlight that recognizes the greatest achievements made in the past year.
The event aims to honor both the creative and technical aspects of game development while providing a global platform for gaming culture. Celebrating aspects such as art, music, performance, esports, and most notably what standout title is deemed worthy of receiving the Game of the Year award.
It features high-profile award presentations, exclusive game announcements, world premieres, and musical performances by The Game Awards orchestra. Streamed live to millions of viewers worldwide, it stands as one of the biggest events in gaming.
Key Takeaways
- The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony celebrating excellence in gaming.
- It was launched in 2014 by media entrepreneur Geoff Keighley after the Spike Video Game Awards ended.
- Categories include Best Art Direction, Best Performance, and the Game of the Year award.
- Past Game Award winners include Witcher 3, Elden Ring, and The Last of Us.
- The event is often livestreamed on YouTube and Twitch.
How Does The Game Awards Work?
The Game Awards follows specific processes in order to determine which titles should be nominated and how winners are selected. The process involves three key components: categories, nominations, and voting.
The Game Awards categories encompass a wide range of achievements in the video game industry, celebrating excellence in game design, storytelling, visuals, audio, innovation, and community impact.
They also highlight accomplishments across various genres, platforms, and disciplines, including esports and content creation, recognizing both creative and technical contributions within the gaming industry.
Based on what titles have been released that year, there is always the potential for new categories to be introduced in order to accurately represent overall achievements.
In 2024, the eligibility criteria expanded to include DLCs, remakes, and remasters across all categories, reflecting the evolving nature of the gaming industry.
The Game Awards nominations are a curated list of games, creators, and industry achievements selected to recognize excellence across various categories.
They are decided by an international jury of gaming media outlets, which evaluate eligible titles and individuals based on their quality, innovation, and impact.
Fan input also plays a role, particularly in select categories like “Player’s Voice.”
The Game Awards voting process has historically been a mix of jury and fan participation. Since its inception, professionals from various media outlets nominate and vote on the winners, accounting for 90% of the total score. Fans contribute the remaining 10% of the vote via online polls, comprising a mix of professional and audience input.
In 2024, a significant change was introduced where fans could vote directly on gaming platforms like Steam, alongside traditional online voting methods.
History of The Game Awards
As of 2024, The Game Awards history spans over a decade of nominations and iterations, even predating Geoff Keighley’s leadership of the show. There have also been a few notable events that have caused significant overhauls to how The Game Awards function.
The Game Awards Quick Facts
🎮 The show traces its origins to the Spike Video Game Awards, which debuted in 2003.
🤝 Starting in 2020, The Game Awards began collaborating with Fortnite.
🌍 The 2022 show attracted over 103 million viewers worldwide.
🎂 2024 marks a 10-year anniversary of Geoff Keighley launching the event.
Here is the full history of The Game Awards:
All The Game Awards GOTY Winners by Year
The Game Awards winners represent the pinnacle of achievement in the video game industry in the respective year, as recognized by a blend of industry experts and fan participation.
2014: Dragon Age: Inquisition
The game competed against Dark Souls II, Destiny, Middle Earth: Shadow of Morder, and Bayonetta 2.
Dragon Age: Inquisition was considered a bold new direction for the medieval fantasy franchise, and was recognised as the 2014 GOTY winner due to its branching narrative and impressive visuals.
2015: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The game competed against Bloodborne, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, and Super Mario Maker.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is considered by many to be one of the best games ever created due to its sheer amount of content, compelling characters, and combat. Its quality landed the 2015 Game of the Year award.
2016: Overwatch
Game Awards nominations for 2016 also included Battlefield 1, Inside, Titanfall 2, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Made from the remains of an abandoned project called Titan, Blizzard released Overwatch in 2016 with unprecedented success. The 2016 GOTY award commemorated how the game led the way for a new industry trend with hero shooters.
2017: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
It was nominated for GOTY alongside Super Mario: Odyssey, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Persona 5, and Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds.
Breath of the Wild saw a major departure from classic systems associated with the Legend of Zelda series, favouring freedom of exploration, which allowed it to land Nintendo’s first Game of the Year award in 2017.
2018: God of War
God of War was in the running alongside Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Monster Hunter: World, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Celeste, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Considered one of the best PS4 games in its time, God of War managed to rise above its fierce competition and receive the GOTY 2018 award. It foregone the dark and gritty tone of the original trilogy, favouring over the shoulder combat while bringing more depth to Kratos’ character.
2019: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice contended with Control, Death Stranding, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and The Outer Worlds.
After previously losing GOTY with both Bloodbourne and Dark Souls II, 2019 was the year FromSoftware finally came out a Game Awards winner. Sekiro was revered by many for its parry system, heightening both the combat and difficulty of the game.
2020: The Last of Us: Part II
Other contenders in the Game Awards announcements included Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Doom Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, and Hades.
The Last of Us: Part II ended up becoming the first GOTY win for Naughty Dog due its graphical fidelity and in-depth narrative. The performances of the voice actors, particularly Laura Bailey (Abby) and Ashley Johnson (Ellie), were considered the biggest highlight of the game.
2021: It Takes two
2021’s other nominations included Deathloop, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil: Village.
It Takes Two won the GOTY in 2021 due to its innovative gameplay, emotional depth, and the Friend’s Pass feature that allowed another player to join your sessions without paying. A charming yet accessible title for all ages resonated with players across the globe.
2022: Elden Ring
2022’s other GOTY nominees included God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon: Forbidden West, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Stray, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s biggest game to date, with a large open-world to explore filled with challenging encounters and legendary boss fights. Its expansive build options and sheer scale for content available at launch allowed this game to conquer the competition in the 2022 Game Awards results.
2023: Baldur’s Gate 3
Other games nominated for 2023 GOTY included Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the latest winner in the Game of the Year awards, highly praised by many for its scale of content, compelling characters, varied gameplay, and consumer friendly practices. It is our top pick for the best PC games available to play in 2024.
4 Ways to Improve The Game Awards Viewing Experience
There are four ways to improve your experience when watching the Game Awards stream:
The Bottom Line
The Game Awards is an annual event that celebrates the best gaming achievements from the past year. It acknowledges quality in all aspects of gaming, from the development of the game to events surrounding gaming such as esports. Receiving a Game of the Year award is considered a significant milestone that many gaming studios aspire to achieve.
