The winners are about to be crowned at the 11th annual Game Awards: NPR

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GEOFF KEIGHLEY: Good evening everyone and welcome to the Game Awards.

(CHEERS)

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

One of the most watched awards shows in the world is taking place tonight. It’s the 11th Annual Game Awards. Hosted and produced by video game journalist Geoff Keighley. What it says is the biggest evening in the gaming industry is becoming increasingly popular. More than 100 million people watched the event via livestream last year, although the awards ceremony has also been met with criticism and controversy. NPR gaming boss James Mastromarino joins us now to talk about the whole matter. Well, James, before we begin, we should acknowledge that NPR is among the more than 130 media organizations that contributed to the Game Awards shortlist. So, James, how does it all work? I mean, some kind of critics’ choice?

JAMES MASTROMARINO, BYLINE: Yes, mostly. International media organizations have two rounds of voting – one in which they nominate games for the shortlist and another in which they select their favorites in each category. So the judging panel is mostly English-speaking, as you might expect from a US-based show. But there is decent representation worldwide, particularly in Asian countries and Brazil. The most unique thing about the Game Awards, however, is that 10% of the final tally comes from the public, who can vote online. There is even a player selection category based solely on online voting. This all gives the Game Awards a populist, carnival-like atmosphere compared to, say, the Oscars.

MARTÍNEZ: Oh, the players’ decision. It’s like going to Vegas. It’s the players’ decision all around.

MASTROMARINO: (Laughter). Yes. Yes.

MARTINEZ: All right. So who are the favorites to win this year?

MASTROMARINO: Yes, it was a mixed year for PlayStation commercially, but critically it was a great year for them. Two PS5 exclusive games lead the way with seven nominations, including Game of the Year. There’s the big budget RPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It is a kind of remake, a kind of sequel to the popular role-playing game from 1997.

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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) We can handle it. I will take back our world.

MASTROMARINO: Then, somehow on the other side, there’s this cute 3D platformer “Astro Bot” that’s just plain fun. And it feels like PlayStation has finally created something that can compete with the best Mario platformers.

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KENNETH CM YOUNG: (Singing) I’m Astro Bot.

MASTROMARINO: The other nominees for Game of the Year are the politically charged metaphor “ReFantazio”, “Black Myth: Wukong” – an action game inspired by Chinese literature and mythology – and “Shadow Of The Erdtree”, the expansion to the 2022 Game of the Year , “Elden Ring.” But then there’s this little indie game, Balatro. You can think of it as a kind of single-player poker game – all the fun of gambling without any of the risk.

MARTINEZ: (Laughter).

MASTROMARINO: And compared to these other games, “Balatro” had an incredibly small budget, but it really blew up. And it has played all its cards right and could actually take home the big prize this year.

MARTÍNEZ: Well, I understand that some people are a little upset this year that too many games are up for awards.

MASTROMARINO: Yes, the main thing here is that never before has an expansion – not a full sequel, just an appendix to an existing game – been up for the Major Game of the Year award. This is “Shadow Of The Erdtree” – again the successor to the 2022 hit “Elden Ring”, which was named Game of the Year. And some people think that other games should be allowed to compete in this area and that Elden Ring has already had its day.

MARTÍNEZ: Now it sounds like the awards have long been criticized for being too close to the industry. Is it more of a four-hour commercial than an awards show like, say, the Oscars?

MASTROMARINO: Well, all award shows serve to promote their respective industries, but the Game Awards are clearly a showcase. It presents exclusive trailers and sells advertising space for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Broadcasting from LA, it brings together Hollywood stars to announce partnerships with gaming companies. And presenter Geoff Keighley rattles off some categories so quickly that the winners don’t get a chance to give acceptance speeches. And even when they do, they often only have about a minute to do it. There are many examples of heartfelt speeches being cut short prematurely. So I’m curious to see whether the awards won’t be quite so fast this year.

MARTINEZ: All right. Despite these complaints, it still sounds like people are tuning in. So what will you pay attention to?

MASTROMARINO: Yeah, so there are always big announcements and surprises. This presenter, Geoff Keighley, has hinted that we’re going to get big news. I’m expecting a new trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI to be released next year. We also know that we’ll get the reveal of the new game from 2021 Game of the Year winner It Takes Two. They will show what they have cooked. So there is always room for surprises. And I guess we’ll have completely different topics to discuss tomorrow morning.

MARTINEZ: All right. That’s NPR gaming boss James Mastromarino. James, it’s game over for our segment.

MASTROMARINO: (Laughter) Game over, man. Thanks, A

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