The night of the 2024 Video Game Awards, the crew and I had planned to listen passively to a long and winding list of adverts for new games and maybe make some passing commentary on winners for a few categories we were keyed on.
To be sure, last year’s awards show left us with a certain bitter taste in our mouths considering how little was said about the massive layoffs and other bad news ripping through the industry at that time.
When the time came and we heard commentary on the state of the industry, not in brief but with some form of substance, they had my attention. They continued to maintain my attention with the mention (and awarding) of people like Amir Satvat who worked to help people find jobs in the industry along with the sweeping wins of indie games, and the pointed-but-well-deserved drag from Sven who had barely been allowed to say more than two sentences the year prior.
Belatro cleaned up in a wonderful way. Astrobot got richly deserved wins. Metaphor: ReFantazio got much needed props for being an excellent game. We had a good time watching the show and hope that the future award shows go even further when it comes to speaking to the very real situations in the industry.
Here’s the full list of winners and while I’m here: PUT SOME RESPEK ON THESE INDIES 🗣🗣🗣
Alas, there can be no light without shadow and so it is with this.
Even as Amir was awarded for helping people find industry jobs, the Future Class award – created in 2020 to bring a spotlight to creators who were shaping the face of gaming – has no announced recipients, a quiet Discord, and not a word of explanation on why thus far. This had to feel like a slap in the face to all of the people who have been in the program and for people who were wondering what would be for 2024.
Additionally, there was no mention of the many other hands – many of them black – going back years that were also helping at the time and having significant impact.
Those reminders were just as swift as the praise for even the smallest modicum of “at least we’re not acting like it’s business as usual out here” and to care for any of this in any real way is to have to walk with both of those feelings in tandem and, at least for me, choosing to take the joy I can from that night.
For now, that seems to be the best we can do with any good news that we get when the bad news seems to be constant.
