The Game Awards Seemingly the Biggest Global Entertainment Event of Our Time

Perhaps Fares was correct in regards to the Oscars

by Khayl Adam 4am

Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards, love it or leave it, is a big deal, allegedly the preeminent global entertainment event of our time. That's according to an imposing but useful graph shared by former Nintendo executive Reggie Fils-Aimé. The graph suggests that Keighley's reveals demanded more eyeballs than the Video Music Awards (VMAs), the Grammys, the Academy Awards, the MLB World Series, and the NFL's Super Bowl combined.

Commanding the attention of 154 million viewers, The Game Awards has come a long way in its ten years in this form. The various ways these numbers are put together are arcane and complex, but as the comments below Reggie's post point out, FIFA says the 2023 World Cup championship match "achieved a global reach of close to 1.5 billion viewers." While not entertainment, the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II was observed by a reported 4 billion, making it the most-viewed media event in modern history.

Are you ready to show Geoff Keighly the respect he deserves? Can you believe how far the industry has come? Let us know in the comments section below.

Khayl Adam is Push Square's roving Australian correspondent, a reporter tasked with scouring the internet for the richest, most succulent PlayStation stories. With five years of experience as a freelance journalist and mercenary wordsmith, RPGs are his first great love, but strategy and tactics games are a close second, genres in which he is only too happy to specialize.

Love to see it. I think Geoff did a great job at responding to criticism and improving the show. Yes it’s still too long (though personally I was gripped throughout) and yes there are still too many important awards that are rushed through (though do we want another hour of awards? A tough nut to crack) but in all it was the best TGA yet imho. Credit where it’s due.

EDIT: Though Reggie is ignoring things like Football & Cricket World Cups or Olympics which get far more than TGAs. Often billions.

@themightyant
Perfectly said. I have nothing to add.

This might draw advertisers to future events. And TGA will be filled with product placements instead of awards and reveals, if Geoff is not smart about it

Combined!? 😳 Gaming has really elevated itself into the big leagues. I do agree it was the best TGA yet. I dont mind the length, as long as it’s filled with great announcements!

I did my part and watched.

6
Kingy
4:38am

Which event has the superior commercials though... 🤔

You can preach and push it all you want, I still don’t care about it. And it’s over, why are we still talking about it? I couldn’t care less about these awards. I just want to play games without being told what is “the best of the year” or any of that crap. My personal game of the year was Pokémon Yellow, and that came out 25 years ago and I wasn’t influenced by any award show or reviews to play it.

Personally found it a waste of time aside from Astro Bot winning Game of the Year and Okami 2 announcement

9
Ultimapunch
4:52am

No Resident Evil 9. 0/10

10
chucksneed
5:09am

They could shorten the name to The Game Ads

I have serious doubts that those numbers are accurate.

12
Balie3000
5:26am

It was a highlight in gaming for me this year. It's nice that games get recognized and given awards but that doesn't phase me as much. Some of the reveal trailers were genuinely surprising, exciting and one even had me tear up a bit 🥹 Geoff did good this year and knows what the people want. The show can do without The Muppets though..

13
breakneck
5:27am

The Queens funeral was entertainment for most of the commonwealth tbf.

Also, I did like the awards more this time. Still too long and too much weeb nonsense in the middle but started and ended very strongly.

14
breakneck
5:28am

@Balie3000 Ueda, Okami 2 or Onimusha?

@Balie3000 I’m usually with you on the muppets, but I think they did them really smartly this year, using them to kinda roast Geoff and TGAs in general. It was both funny and a way to say we hear all your complaints. With you on tearing up a few times too. Amir Satvat, Okami 2 and Astros win really got me

@LavenderShroud it’s fine you don’t care about it. But many do, 150+ million viewers is nothing to sniff at.

Also love playing older games. Just finished Jumping Flash and recently replayed Metroid Prime & Mario Galaxy. Metroid definitely on my best game played this year list.. again.

16
Balie3000
5:33am

@breakneck You got 2/3 bro 😄 Ueda 🥹 Okami 2 😲 Mafia 😬 Word up son

17
BIG3
5:35am

@themightyant I think the awards being rushed should be moved to a longr preshow and during the mainshow they could do a reel of which games won what earlier tonight.

18
Vorflynn
6m ago

Its diffucult to believe the graph without understanding where this 150m comes from. Was it watched live by 150m? Is it the total views across all channels on youtube etc? Does this include partial views? Is this 150m separate people, how many are repeat views?

That said it still impressive. The main game awards stream is standing at 13m views currently. And its good that my hobby is growing.

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