The 2023 Game Awards were an absolute dumpsterfire, not in the normal fashion where they just kinda suck and put up a bunch of whatever games for whatever awards, but moreso in that there was a distinct lack of respect shown this year more than any year prior to the devs and award recipients. Speeches were rushed, Larian Studios got rushed off stage while accepting GOTY, Neil Newbon got rushed off stage... everyone got rushed off stage.
In a 3 hour show, HALF of that time being dedicated to advertisements and previews tells me that your show is no longer an awards show, but a preview show, and Geoff Keighley seems intent on refusing to recognize this reality for as long as possible.
In frustration, this video 100% critiques (maybe a bit angrily) this years Game Awards show, but I also went the extra mile and put together my own list of honorable mentions as well as the best of the best games that I played this year.
That being said, a celebration of 2023's gaming achievements should also acknowledge the genuinely terrible and widespread layoffs in the gaming industry. A lot of tech companies over hired during COVID and we're now seeing the repercussions of that with a lot of talented people losing their jobs. I don't have a solution for this, but at least saying it out loud helps in making sure that this isn't just looked at as a "bump in the road" but a huge pitfall to be avoided.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 "The Game Awards"
05:49 Honorable Mentions
08:36 Wall of Shame
12:13 14
13:52 13
15:13 12
16:52 11
17:58 10
19:00 9
21:08 8
22:46 7
23:56 6
25:45 5
27:58 4
29:54 3
33:02 2
33:16 Game of the Year
I'll be honest, I used so many different songs in this video and forgot to write it all down during editing, most of the music is from the game on screen at any given moment though and if you want to know a specific song just throw a timestamp in the comments asking what the music is and I'll be sure to get back to you. Usually more on top of this, sorry!
Games mentioned that I'm typing out in no particular order exclusively for the algorithm's sake: Alan Wake 2, Baldurs Gate 3, Pizza Tower, Battlebit Remastered, Chants of Sennar, Cocoon, Mosa Lina, Lies of P, Ultrakill, Armored Core 6, Dredge, Lunacid, Guild Wars 2, FFXVI, Spiderman 2, Dave the Diver, Amnesia The Bunker, Resident Evil 4, Gunbrella, Cruelty Squad, Dead Space Remake, Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Brotato, My Friendly Neighborhood, OSRS, Voidigo, Spelunky 2, Uncharted 4, Doom 1993, The Finals, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat, Jusant, World of Horror. Forspoken, Starfield, Redfall, Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild