The Game Awards 2020: Geoff Goes to Hollywood

I really like Geoff Keighley.

He used to be a controversial figure in the gaming community a few years ago, but a general temperature read feels like he has transformed into a character, almost like Bethesda’s Todd Howard. Keighley’s nickname, “Dorito Pope,” has morphed from a condemnation of being a shameless shill into more a joking term of endearment.

He still sells us various products, but we love him for it. With the ads, come the new game reveals, and we (the gaming community) love new game reveals. To Keighley’s credit, even the included ads themselves have improved. The products being sold are more aimed towards a “gaming” audience than they used to be. Long gone are the days of the Schick Hydrobot at The Game Awards 2016.

However, something felt a tad different about this year’s awards and it wasn’t the obvious restrictions placed on the production through the current circumstances of the world. It was something deeper. More a shift at the core of what The Game Awards has represented for the past six years.

From the beginning, its obvious Keighley sat down with the intention of making the video game industry’s equivalent to the Oscars. Previously, he held the creative position behind the annual Spike VGA Awards, during which the aforementioned “Dorito Pope” meme came into existence. The inaugural Game Awards followed the same format, but were classed up. Keighley pulled a total tone shift for the event. There would be an orchestra. Guests and presenters would be dressed in suits/dresses. In short, it would be just like the Oscars… except for the trailers and lack of Hollywood celebrities.

One of those things changed at last week’s awards.

This year’s Game Awards had an unbelievable amount of traditional star power. Regardless of what is further said in this article, Keighley should be honored just for his ability to organize so many disparate parts and act as a true neutral in the gaming industry. Don’t ever forget Geoff Keighley is the man who got the heads of the “big three” standing together on stage. He is the portal through which our industry mixes with traditional media.

And it did feel like he pushed us aside a bit for Hollywood this year…

Before sitting down to start this piece the morning after awards night, I took a piece of paper and quickly jotted down what I could recall:

1. The Last of Us 2 won GOTY.
2. The Swedish Chef was not the optimal Muppet choice.
3. Believing Mario was impaled by Sephiroth for a hot second.
4. All the celebrities.

Let’s quickly disregard the first three to focus on the fourth. The only game developers I personally can remember speaking were the Among Us team (twice), and then Neil Druckmann & Co. the rest of the time. Congratulations to both developers for their wins, but it felt a little off balance from previous years. Nolan North stuck out to me as well, but there were no memorable moments like the Christopher Judge & Sunny Suljic bringing to life the dynamic of God of War (2018). I’m sure most of this can be blamed on the current situation of the world and it presenting some unique opportunities alongside the challenges for Keighley that may not have flowed in another year’s show. Maybe Christopher Nolan would never be able to make it to The Game Awards in person to announce Game of the Year, but through the magic of video, it can happen this year.

And this isn’t to say Keighley is abandoning the games industry, or the gaming journalists that make up the judge panel for The Game Awards. That would be odd as the video game industry has become the new juggernaut of the entertainment sphere. Instead, it seems like Hollywood is wanting into gaming, more and more. Fortnite screened Christopher Nolan’s Inception this past summer, Sonic the Hedgehog was a hit at the box office earlier this year, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been turned into a legitimate talk show with elite guests. By being the “video game Oscars equivalent,” Geoff Keighley and The Game Awards simply present the most seamless window for Hollywood figures to make their introduction.

There’s no ill will towards any of the presenters, or any weird questioning of if they’re “real gamers.” I just want to see more people from games at The Game Awards 2021. As the celebration of the industry, it presents a unique opportunity where developers who aren’t already known faces like Neil Druckmann or Corey Balrog can say something to viewers at home who normally wouldn’t seek out their thoughts. A moment of reflection in an industry constantly focused on what’s next.

Hollywood has enough award shows. Let us keep this one.

I’m okay with the Muppets though.