Geoff Keighley, the prominent video game journalist and producer of The Game Awards, has been in the spotlight recently for failing to recognize the challenges faced by game developers during 2020. As the gaming industry and the world at large grappled with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become increasingly clear that this past year was particularly challenging for game developers, and yet Keighley seemed to overlook this reality.
In his role as the producer of The Game Awards, Keighley has a significant platform and has used it to honor the best games, developers, and industry professionals each year. However, as the pandemic hit and resulted in many development studios facing significant delays, financial hardships, and workflow disruptions, many in the gaming community were disappointed when The Game Awards ceremony did not address or acknowledge these challenges.
Game development is an incredibly complex and demanding process under normal circumstances. However, the pandemic added an extra layer of difficulty, forcing many developers to work from home, deal with supply chain disruptions, and adapt to new ways of collaborating. Many games faced delays as a result, and some smaller studios even faced closure.
Despite this, The Game Awards lacked any significant recognition or acknowledgement of the challenges faced by developers during 2020. Many in the gaming community saw this as a missed opportunity to showcase the resilience and creativity of the developers who managed to release games in such difficult circumstances, as well as to advocate for better working conditions in the industry.
Keighley has received criticism for seemingly ignoring the struggles of game developers during a year that was, undoubtedly, one of the toughest in recent memory. The failure to recognize and honor the efforts of developers in such challenging times has not gone unnoticed by many in the gaming community.
Moving forward, it’s crucial for industry figureheads like Keighley to be more mindful of the challenges faced by game developers. By shining a spotlight on their hard work and perseverance, we can highlight the need for more supportive working conditions within the gaming industry. Hopefully, this criticism will encourage Keighley and others in similar positions to be more conscious of the hardships faced by developers and to use their platforms to advocate for positive change.
