In case you missed it, this year’s The Game Awards was a eventful show with a ton of announcements, strong industry presence and passionate speeches. However, one speech stood out for all of us, and that was the one made by Josef Fares, the developer behind the upcoming game A Way Out, also known for Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons.
He was extremely passionate, and while he was there to reveal more about his game, he had few choice words to say. He started with talking about EA and the whole lootbox controversy. Then he went on to talk about how he was so happy to be a part of the gaming industry, and even threw a few insults at the movie industry, and their awards show, the Oscars.
“Look, the Oscars should fuck themselves up,” he said. “This is the shit! I’m telling you — this is, this is the real shit!”
You can clearly see Geoff Keighley getting a little uncomfortable, but it’s also refreshing to see a game developer simply speak his mind out.
He later talked to Polygon, who questioned him about his speech at The Game Awards, especially his outburst, and here’s what he had to say:
“I can’t change who I am,” said Fares in a phone interview. “It’s very hard to control. When I get excited, it’s like — it’s hard to control. Like, it’s almost like: In my head I want to say something, but my mouth, it kind of, like, takes out everything.”
When questioned about why he went on to speak out against the Oscars, he said that is wasn’t directed at the Oscars, instead it was directed at the sentiment that The Game Awards was trying to be the Oscars for video games.
“This is an example,” said Fares. “It’s not that I have anything against [the] Oscars. But there’s a lot of talk about, like, you know, ‘This is like the Oscars.’ Like, the Oscars, the Game Awards, ‘we’re trying to be like the Oscars.’ I’m like, come on, man. I mean, it’s time for people to understand that games are, like, a serious art.”
They went on to ask Geoff Keighley about the same incident, who responded with this statement:
“Games are a huge force on the entertainment landscape, yet they don’t get the respect they deserve,” said Keighley. “In many ways we don’t need to be the ‘Oscars of gaming’ or to draw that comparison to the Oscars for validation or legitimacy. The Game Awards are distinct and successful on their own.”
The Game Awards sure have come a long way, and are such a big improvement over the show’s humble beginnings on SpikeTV. It’s also clear that Geoff Keighley puts in a ton of work in producing the best show he can. I am glad to see that there’s a stage for game developers to be rewarded for their work, and be able to speak their mind.
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