The internet was not happy about the 2019 Game Awards.
Reddit: r/Games Official Discussion
Reddit: Live Discussion
Reddit: That was really bad
Resetera - Game Awards Discussion Thread
Gamefaqs - Switch Discussion
Why? GameXplain and other youtube channels explain:
ChiGuy - The 2019 Game Awards was Awful
BeatEmUps - What Happened to the Game Awards?
GameXplain - So the 2019 Game Awards happened...
I'll admit. I was pissed that night.
I watched the entirety of the Game Awards last year. I came home from an office Christmas party, I stayed up hours later than usual and became increasingly exhausted and irritable as the night went on. The next morning, feeling disappointed and insanely tired, it felt vindicating to see so many major publications and forums tear into the show. I joined a massive thread here on Era, pages of pissed off comments and I still felt like I needed to add my own.
But looking back, something really rubs me the wrong way. A lot of these posts were blaming Geoff Keighley.
The guy who loves games, celebrates gaming as an art, boosts creators who deserve more spotlight, the guy who put this entire thing together.
So was it his fault that none of those teased announcements happened?
Was it his fault that the show was bogged with trailers for crappy looking MOBAs and F2P games?
Was it really his fault that big announcement for the end of the show was Vin Diesel telling us that he "saw" a trailer for Fast9 and showing off a PS2-looking low budget fast and furious game?
I feel silly for reacting the way that I did. I feel guilty for complaining that we were let down by something that had been so much better in years before, when without Geoff, it may not have ever existed in the first place.
And yes, many studios, and Geoff himself, were on Twitter teasing many of those reveals that never ended up happening--- but what happens when Nintendo or Rocksteady pull out at the last minute? So yeah some of that disappointment was from announcements that were told to expect, but let's be honest and admit that a lot of it was just our own hype.
I remember listening to GameXplain's predictions podcast. They were trying to hype responsibly and comment one what was "expected", "likely" "unlikely" or a "shot in the dark". NONE of their 30-odd predictions came to pass, even the tiny obvious ones and I was really frustrated that I had stayed up all night hoping to be excited or even caught off guard by something interesting and new.
That was my own fault.
At the end of the day, teased announcements not happening shouldn't overshadow the tight production, fantastic nominees and great hosting work by Geoff himself. I would bet bottom dollar that the crappy Fast and Furious announcement was a last minute replacement for something else. I would bet anything that it was completely out of Geoff's control. The games he teased on twitter? What was he supposed to do if they suddenly backed out??
Geoff seems like a good dude. He puts together an awesome show that wouldn't exist without him. Let's hype responsibly this year. Don't downplay the impact of the pandemic.
I plan to do what I forgot to do last year- Watch the show for the actual awards.
It's an awards show after all.
Reddit: r/Games Official Discussion
Reddit: Live Discussion
Reddit: That was really bad
Resetera - Game Awards Discussion Thread
Gamefaqs - Switch Discussion
Why? GameXplain and other youtube channels explain:
ChiGuy - The 2019 Game Awards was Awful
BeatEmUps - What Happened to the Game Awards?
GameXplain - So the 2019 Game Awards happened...
I'll admit. I was pissed that night.
I watched the entirety of the Game Awards last year. I came home from an office Christmas party, I stayed up hours later than usual and became increasingly exhausted and irritable as the night went on. The next morning, feeling disappointed and insanely tired, it felt vindicating to see so many major publications and forums tear into the show. I joined a massive thread here on Era, pages of pissed off comments and I still felt like I needed to add my own.
But looking back, something really rubs me the wrong way. A lot of these posts were blaming Geoff Keighley.
The guy who loves games, celebrates gaming as an art, boosts creators who deserve more spotlight, the guy who put this entire thing together.
So was it his fault that none of those teased announcements happened?
Was it his fault that the show was bogged with trailers for crappy looking MOBAs and F2P games?
Was it really his fault that big announcement for the end of the show was Vin Diesel telling us that he "saw" a trailer for Fast9 and showing off a PS2-looking low budget fast and furious game?
I feel silly for reacting the way that I did. I feel guilty for complaining that we were let down by something that had been so much better in years before, when without Geoff, it may not have ever existed in the first place.
And yes, many studios, and Geoff himself, were on Twitter teasing many of those reveals that never ended up happening--- but what happens when Nintendo or Rocksteady pull out at the last minute? So yeah some of that disappointment was from announcements that were told to expect, but let's be honest and admit that a lot of it was just our own hype.
I remember listening to GameXplain's predictions podcast. They were trying to hype responsibly and comment one what was "expected", "likely" "unlikely" or a "shot in the dark". NONE of their 30-odd predictions came to pass, even the tiny obvious ones and I was really frustrated that I had stayed up all night hoping to be excited or even caught off guard by something interesting and new.
That was my own fault.
At the end of the day, teased announcements not happening shouldn't overshadow the tight production, fantastic nominees and great hosting work by Geoff himself. I would bet bottom dollar that the crappy Fast and Furious announcement was a last minute replacement for something else. I would bet anything that it was completely out of Geoff's control. The games he teased on twitter? What was he supposed to do if they suddenly backed out??
Geoff seems like a good dude. He puts together an awesome show that wouldn't exist without him. Let's hype responsibly this year. Don't downplay the impact of the pandemic.
I plan to do what I forgot to do last year- Watch the show for the actual awards.
It's an awards show after all.
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