Frederick Jace
Soccer has the Ballon D’Or, Hollywood has the Oscars, and the gaming industry has Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards. On December 9 2021, the 7th annual Game Awards ceremony took place in Los Angeles to celebrate the growth the video game industry has seen in 2021.
According to reports, roughly 2.9 billion people played a video game in 2021. The lavish Game Awards event was a welcome opportunity for industry insiders to acknowledge this and the games that contributed to this growth. The event featured celebrity guests such as Jim Carrey and musical performances by rock legends like Sting.
The Winners
Dozens of awards were handed out at the 2021 Game Awards. The gaming division of Microsoft swept on the night, bringing home several awards, including Best Strategy Game for Age of Empires IV. French video game developer Arkane Studios joined Microsoft, winning multiple awards for its first-person shooting game Deathloop.
The general public and industry leaders determine the winners of the Game Awards, including the winner of the prestigious title, Game of the Year (GOTY). This year’s honor went to It Takes Two, an action-adventure online game developed by Hazelight Studios. The game was released in March, and it follows a couple as they navigate a divorce.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for, Game of The Year! A massive congratulations to It Takes Two @hazelightgames + @ea + @josef_fares for your big win! #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/3o2kGm8qHm
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 10, 2021
Why Did ‘It Takes Two’ Win GOTY?
There’s no denying It Takes Two is an unusual pick for Game of the Year. It would have been far more traditional to see fellow nominees like Capcom’s Resident Evil Village secure this honor. However, It Takes Two’s unusualness doesn’t disregard that it’s an excellent game. After all, It Takes Two didn’t just win Game of the Year, but also Best Family Game. It beat Nintendo for this award, which developed four out of the five nominated games for this category.
It Takes Two’s use of gameplay mechanics is unique. Rather than sticking to what’s used the most in action-adventure games, Hazelight Studios incorporated gameplay mechanics from different video game genres. This diversity has helped attract new demographics to this game. It Takes Two features several mini-games, which are exciting add-on features that have helped incentivize players to try the game.
It Takes Two isn’t a conventional win, but it is interesting. It highlights how tried and true gaming trends still work in today’s market. Adding diversity to gameplay to gain broader audiences is something we’ve seen in the gaming industry for years. The same goes for offering incentives to attract and keep players.
Trends Of The Past
Interestingly, these trends are among the reasons why the iGaming industry has seen considerable growth. Casino platforms offer a diverse selection of games that accommodate the interests of both new and traditional players. These platforms also present dozens of incentives to players to get them to play their games, usually for the first time.
For example, according to the review site CasinoSmash, most casino platforms tend to have new customer offers, including free spins bonuses, which is where you can win money online for free as a new player. These platforms also offer free spins for existing customers. While casino games and video games are two different niches, we can see how It Takes Two incorporated gaming trends that other areas have previously taken advantage of, such as iGaming.
Even though the Game Awards hasn’t been around for long, the event has become as important as other ceremonies in the entertainment industry. It’s a fantastic opportunity for industry insiders to celebrate their achievements while also seeing the different ways the modern gaming industry is honoring the successes and trends of the past.
