Let's give a welcome return to the Spike TV format of video game award shows as it is a step in the right direction. Geoff Keighly manages to reel it back to 2011 with an inspired effort to bring the game awards back and it pays off, for the most part. As with any award show, it is littered with sponsored material and campy face to camera overacting and facial expressions that split up the action.
Still, all things considered, the 2016 Game Awards was a strong showcase for what these awards will be moving forward. Two weaker music performances and one stronger performance centered around the "Doom" soundtrack make this award show lopsided at times. The show would definitely benefit from some type of composer showing up and bringing the music of video games to life instead of just commercial music in general. That would fit the aesthetic and the fanbase much better.
Instead of having a rap group that has nothing to do with games show up, take some that contributed to the soundtrack for, say, "Grand Theft Auto" and you have a real performance there. It would connect with the audience more and wouldn't seem like such a plug.
Now, with the bulk of the weaknesses out of the way, the show had a strong showing as far as game presentation, the actual award categories and the overall organization put into the show.
Geoff Keighly has a proven track record as a gamer and it translates well to when he's on screen talking to gamers. Unlike many other award show announcers, he never once comes off disingenuous and that's a very important factor for any award show. If you feel like the announcer doesn't care about the subject matter, it takes that much more energy out of the show as a whole.
Some of the acceptance speeches were very heartfelt as well. The speech by the creator of "That Dragon Cancer" managed to bring a tear to my eye as he spoke about his son's struggle with cancer. Nolan North's speech on how game developers make his career was very welcome as well.
There was a lot of love for the game creators in this show. This is refreshing because, usually, these individuals sit "behind the curtain" when award shows come around. That aspect for me works so much better than the Oscars' approach. It recognizes the faces of an industry in entertainment that don't often get any appreciation from the community at large and that layer to this show is a worthwhile addition.
As for the sponsored material, I have to give it some credit because it does have to do with gaming for the most part but it does drag at certain parts of the show. Ideally speaking, some of the material could be a five-second plug.
The award presenters were all completely relevant to the industry and that was surprising considering some of the ones featured in the past. Everyone present at the awards had their quips intact and felt more natural than presenters I've seen on past award shows. Presentations like Death Stranding and Mass Effect: Andromeda were very welcome additions to an already solid award show.
Overall, I'd say keep up the good work but next time focus more on the games instead of the sponsorship distractions and the music groups that really have no place on that stage.
If you take a look at Sony's E3, basically do that but with award presenters and get straight to the gameplay when it's time to present a look at an upcoming game. More games, fewer distractions and would improve things immensely.
7/10: A solid comeback from the dreadful VGA collapse a few years ago. A welcome return to form with some annoying issues that chip away at the show's quality albeit easily remedied in time for the next outing.
