Geoff Keighley failed to recognize a terrible year for game developers

At this point, you can’t talk about how great 2023 is for the quality of games released this year without also mentioning how absolutely disastrous they are for the people who made them. But that’s exactly what Geoff Keighley did during this year’s Game Awards.

Numbers vary, but estimates suggest anywhere in between Six and seven thousand workers lost their jobs Only this year. No level of studio size or success saved it. And those who have been laid off are now forced to compete for an ever-dwindling number of open job advertisements.

“This has been one of the most volatile periods in the gaming industry in the past 15 years,” said Jaquin Vella, executive director of the International Game Developers Association. In an interview with ribbed.

To be clear, Jeff Kelley is not responsible for these layoffs, and layoffs are an unfortunate but regular part of these and many other industries. But with the platform that Keighley has, he has a duty to his audience to recognize the conditions under which the games his events celebrate are created. He’s done it before.

On the same subject, he also recognized the power and clarity of his platform.

“I also realize that we have a great platform that can accelerate and inspire change.” to publish. “We’re committed to that, but we all need to work together to build a better, more inclusive environment so everyone feels safe to build the best games in the world.”

Throughout this year’s awards ceremony, Kelly and developers spoke about the impact of video games on our culture and their radical ability to change minds and broaden perspectives. (As much as the show’s organizers allow developers to speak before turning them on, or in one case, turning them off altogether.) Ostensibly, the Game Awards are about celebrating video games and recognizing the achievements of the people who make them.

Video games aren’t created without people, and those people are now suffering on a heretofore unseen scale. Not to commemorate it at all, even after acknowledging the power of his position, is at best an abdication of responsibility for his program if not outright cowardice. It’s all the more disappointing given that Keighley has already proven that he cares about the wider video game community beyond hyping up “world premieres” and chatting with his best friends in the industry – and the Muppets.