Now that The Game Awards are over for 2021, gaming enthusiasts have been rewatching certain sections of the show in search of details hidden within trailers as well as some of the night's biggest moments. With everything all said and done, however, some viewers have noticed just how little time the actual awards were given during the show.
Voice actor and founder of Inside Gaming Lawrence Sonntag tweeted last night that he had done some math and discovered that The Game Awards featured only 38 total minutes of time devoted to the awards of the show. This, in comparison to the rest of the event, is quite minuscule as the 2021 Game Awards lasted for over three-and-a-half hours.
After doing some simple equations, Sonntag noted that the award sections of the show made up only 17.2% of its entire length. In a follow-up tweet, he also details that the extended look at Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga lasted for six minutes, which was longer than any of the award sections throughout the show. Sonntag clarifies that the demo's length isn't inherently a bad thing, but that it's ironic how little focus is given to the awards which is, if the show's name is to be believed, what The Game Awards is meant to be about.
The idea that The Game Awards spends a little bit too much time on hype and trailer reveals isn't a new criticism of the event from this year, however, it seems as if viewers are beginning to want more out of its award segments. Hopefully, the show is able to hear the criticism and refocus its efforts for next year's Game Awards.
In terms of the awards for this year, there was a diverse list of games that won categories with no one game sweeping the entire show, which has happened in years past. The two biggest winners of the night were It Takes Two and Forza Horizon 5 with both winning three categories including "Best Family Game," "Best Multiplayer," and "Game of the Year" for It Takes Two and "Best Sports/Racing," "Best Audio Design," and "Innovation in Accessibility" for Forza Horizon 5.
As fans begin looking to the future for the 2022 Game Awards, hopefully, changes will be made to the format so that it can champion trailers and World Premieres while also uplifting those within the industry that make the show possible each year.