Top 10 Memorable Game Awards Moments of All Time

Near the beginning of the award show’s very first broadcaster, television star and Solid Snake voice actor Kiefer Sutherland came on stage to introduce Hideo Kojima to debut footage for “Metal Gear Solid V.” Before doing so, Sutherland gave a passionate, unscripted speech on his feelings regarding the gaming industry, and how long it has taken for them to be taken seriously. It was a fitting moment to open the show, if slightly surprising due to it being a Hollywood actor delivering the words rather than an industry icon. Nonetheless, the actor’s heartfelt words were a fantastic start to the show, and rang true with the audience of gaming industry veterans and fans.

In what has to be the strangest moment in the Game Awards short history, a partnership deal with Schick razors resulted in this robotic monstrosity being introduced by Kyle Bosman during the 2016 show. This giant razor android was brought in as a sponsorship deal, and also came with a few short clips of a Mortal Kombat-style fighting game pitting the Hydrobot against another razor called “Lube Strip.” The Game Awards has done a fairly good job of avoiding the cringe-inducing segments of past video game awards shows, but this was definitely not one of their finer moments.

Perhaps one of the most notable segments for The Game Awards is the Industry Icon; An award given to those who leave a longstanding impact on Video Games as a whole that is still felt today. Ken and Roberta Williams, founders of Sierra Entertainment, were hallmarked as the show’s first Industry Icons. They were pioneers of the adventure genre, becoming giant figures in the earlier days of the industry with the development of the classic “King’s Quest.” Despite not being household names, the Game Awards electing to give Ken and Roberta the honor was a surprising and powerful moment, one that helped solidify the show as being something to take seriously in the gaming industry.

When former Nintendo CEO and game programmer Satoru Iwata passed away in 2015, the Game Awards aired a touching video package before giving Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime the floor to eulogize the legendary gaming figure. Reggie’s speech was emotional and impactful, honoring the memory of Iwata while educating many who didn’t know him about his life and achievements. Reggie has always been a gifted speaker, and it’s unlikely Nintendo could’ve chosen a better person to deliver this eulogy. Iwata was a towering figure in the history of Nintendo and the industry at large, and we won’t forget this fitting tribute to his life.

For the 2017 Show, The Game Awards had a full on-stage orchestra to play amazing game theme renditions throughout the night, but they saved the best for last. Before announcing the Game of the Year winner, they played a medley of songs from all the games that were nominated, and the result was a beautiful and incredibly fun performance to cap off the show’s best incarnation so far. “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” would take away the top award of the night, but each game felt appreciated through the excellent music performance. We’ll soon find out if the show plans to bring back the orchestra for the 2018 edition of the awards, and we’ve definitely got our fingers crossed.

Another highlight of the 2017 awards came when “Breath of the Wild” producer Eiji Aonuma arrived onstage to announce the game’s new downloadable content, titled “The Champion’s Ballad.” As a cinematic played on the screen, Aonuma appeared dressed as Link, pulling the Master Sword from its cradle and swinging it around before raising the blade to introduce the trailer. Partially funny and partially inspiring, this brief appearance of the longtime Legend of Zelda producer had some sort of effect on nearly everyone. It would end up being a huge night for “Breath of the Wild,” but our favorite Zelda moment of the evening came from this fun piece of cosplay.

Having already revealed 2 strange trailer for his new game “Death Stranding”, including one at the 2016 Game Awards, Hideo Kojima took to the stage in 2017 alongside Norman Reedus with an even more insane trailer for the game. To say “Death Stranding” got everyone talking would be an understatement, as the eight minute trailer somehow gave us more information about the game while simultaneously raising even more questions surrounding it. The trailer features a fetus inside of Norman Reedus’ throat, which is definitely something we never thought we’d ever see, let alone during an awards show. After this wild spectacle, it’s hard not to be excited for … whatever kind of game “Death Stranding” ends up being.

“That Dragon, Cancer” is a 2016 interactive autobiographical game directed by Ryan Green, who’s son Joel was diagnosed with terminal cancer before his first birthday. It won the Games For Impact award in 2016, And … In what has to be the most emotional moment in the show’s history, Ryan accepted the award, delivering an impassioned and personal speech that didn’t leave a dry eye in the house. Seeing this family get professional recognition for their hard work and everything they overcame to release this game and tell their story makes it a moment that is impossible to forget.

“Game Awards” creator Geoff Keighley has a known friendship with Hideo Kojima, so when Konami decided not to allow the legendary developer to travel to the US to accept any awards for “Metal Gear Solid V” Geoff wasn’t going to let that slide. After Konami instead sent Kiefer Sutherland to accept the award for Best Action/Adventure Game, Keighley took the opportunity to reveal the reason Kojima wasn’t at the show: Konami told him he couldn’t come as part of his employment contract. All would work out, however, as Kojima was invited to receive the Industry Icon award the following year.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Sometimes awards shows can feel over-scripted and dull. Other times, they remind you what can happen during a live broadcast. When Geoff brought developer Josef Fares on stage to show off his new game “A Way Out,” Faires … well lets just say; he let his outgoing personality run wild. (“Fuck the Oscars you know, Fuck the Oscars, Fuck you”) The always-calm Keighley attempts to keep Fares on track, but the sailor-mouthed developer goes on for a long time before showing the trailer for the game. The best part about Fares is that everything he says is harmless, and genuinely he seems like a guy who is just passionate about games.