Just as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences celebrates its famous gala de los Oscar to award the best films of the year, there is also a similar event in the world of video game. Every year the GOTY, the highest award for The Game Awards, popularmente conocidos como "the Oscars of video games".
GOTY is an acronym for the expression Game of the year (game of the year), the most coveted award within the video game industry. It is awarded to the best title of the year that provides the best experience to players, both in their creative development and in the technical aspect.
The most immediate antecedent to The Game Awards are the Cybermania awards, which began to be celebrated in the 90s with a somewhat limited scope, and the Spike Video Games Award (VGA), in the early 2000s. In fact, the architects of the creation of The Games Awards They are the organizers of the VGAs themselves, like the Canadian Geoff Keighley, who has become the everlasting presenter of the gala.
Selection process
What is the mechanism through which the best games of the year are chosen? The Game Awards have a advisory committee made up of representatives of large hardware manufacturers such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and others.
This committee selects a series of specialized media and publications to be in charge of nominate and vote video games distributed in various categories. It must be made clear, in order to avoid suspicion, that the advisory committee cannot select or vote for any game. A date is designated in November of each year to mark the official launch deadline for games that enter the fray.
This is the list of categories:
- Game of the year (GOTY).
- Mejor dirección de juego.
- Mejor narrativa.
- Best artistic direction.
- Best soundtrack and musical score.
- Mejor diseño de audio.
- Best performance.
- Innovation in accessibility.
- Impact games.
- Best game in progress.
- Better community support.
- Mejor juego independiente.
- Mejor juego para móvil.
- Best virtual and/or augmented reality.
- Best action and adventure game.
- Mejor juego de rol.
- Best fighting game.
- Mejor juego familiar.
- Best simulation and/or strategy game.
- Best sports and/or racing game.
- Best adapted game.
- Best multiplayer game.
- Content creator of the year.
- Best e-sports game.
- Best e-sports player.
- Best e-sports team.
- Best e-sports coach.
- Best e-sports event.
During the nomination round, each media outlet creates its own list of games for each of the categories. All lists are received by the committee, which is the one that prepares the lista definitiva of nominated games.
This new list is then sent back to the media to cast their votes. The winning games are chosen through a combined voting system: the votes of the jury (90%) and the votes of the fans (10%) through social networks and the The Games Awards official website.
The Game Awards Gala – GOTY 2024
Although in the first edition of 2014, The Game Awards gala was held in Las Vegas, since then and until today it has been the city of Los Angeles the one that hosted the ceremony (except for the 2020 gala, which had to be virtual due to the pandemic). The last few times, at the Peacock Theater. This is the video from the last edition:
The date designated for the celebration of the gala The Game Awards is the December 12, 2024. In it we will know what will be the GOTY de 2024, as well as the rest of the winners. As always, the gala will be broadcast live through the official channel or streamed for free on the main streaming services.
In addition to the entrega de premios itself, at the gala they usually announce global game and product launches and there are also highlights actuaciones musicales. Quite a spectacle. To attend the show live you have to be a very early riser, as capacity is limited. You will find the information you need on the website of the Peacock Theater box office.
Winner history
Now that the best video game awards have been in existence for a decade, only a lucky few have managed to win the GOTY. These have been the winners of each of the editions in the premier category.
- 2014: DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION, developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts.
- 2015: THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT, developed and published by CD Projekt.
- 2016: OVERWATCH, developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment.
- 2017: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD, developed and published by Nintendo.
- 2018: GOD OF WAR, developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony.
- 2019: SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE, developed by FromSoftware and published by Activision.
- 2020: THE LAST OF US PART II, developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony.
- 2021: IT TAKES TWO, developed by Hazelight Studios and published by Electronic Arts.
- 2022: ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.
- 2023: BALDUR’S GATE 3, developed and published by Larian Studios.
What will be the best game of the year in 2024? What title will join this select list? There is still a lot to know about that. The final list of nominees and the final election remain to be drawn up. We will have to wait for the gala that will take place next December to find out.
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