Hello, and welcome to Part 2 of our E3 vs. The Game Awards Clash at the Stash. If you’re here, you probably read Part 1 that explained what this series is, the rules, our competitors, and their arguments. If you haven’t, you’re probably really confused. But don’t worry because we have you covered. You can catch up by clicking here!
Now we get to find out who wins this epic installment of Clash at the Stash. Matthew and E3 or Taylor and The Game Awards? Let’s see what the judges thought:
Steve Bennett (Insert amusing bio here) –
It pains me that E3 is no longer the mighty beast it once was. Growing up, I was desperate to go and always looked forward to buying E3 special editions of gaming magazines to read all about it. This was a pre-internet time of excitement and if I was basing it on that, E3 would have won. However, based on what I’ve read from our two competitors, I have to opt for The Game Awards. I wish I was giving the nod to E3 but The Game Awards gets the vote for me as it’s just the better show (at this present time).
Brandon Stephenson (Is still reeling from Sony’s E3 2016 Year of Dreams) –
I’ve been struggling with this verdict since we started working on this Clash for a few different reasons. I love E3. Say what you want about it, but I still look forward to the week. But, the event has been declining over the last few years, as evident by Sony (along with other developers and publishers) dropping out. Now, with the news of Geoff Keighley moving away from the event this year… Yikes.
However, I’m going to vote for Matthew and E3 here. I do think that The Game Awards is a better-produced show (which goes to show how much Keighley cares about it). Matthew hits the nail right on the head for me. I’ve always dreamed of going to the event and I spent every waking moment possible watching G4’s coverage, which has only transitioned to various other live streams. Plus, as Matthew mentioned, there are hundreds of game announcements each E3, dwarfing the size of The Game Awards. So, for those reasons, I’m going to go with E3 here. That being said, my mind might change depending on how this year’s iteration goes.
Trent Katzenberger (Cannot believe that he is the deciding factor here) –
Jeez. What to say?
The points each side has made are very valid and each side had something to say to both my brain and my heart. As mentioned in the arguments, E3 has been in decline for years now and has suffered blow after blow. But there is a part of me that would be very sad without it. And while I think game shows are overrated shams meant to do little more than drum up extra bucks for media properties that were already projected to do very well, I feel that Geoff Keighley has a plan. Keighley seems to have a vision for The Game Awards. He knows what he is doing and he knows where he wants to take that show. And that is the deciding factor for me.
I must award my point to The Game Awards. Having an awards show for games helps to legitimize them. It doesn’t in any way fill the hole that E3’s eventual decline will leave in my life but it will help the industry in ways that E3 can’t. There is a clear path forward for The Game Awards. For E3, there just isn’t. The ESA is trying to turn the show into something for the fans but even if they are successful, what will we have then? Whatever it is, it won’t be the E3 I grew up admiring, as melodramatic as that might sound. Time has objectively obliterated the reason the show was a continuous gaming hype train that took over my life for a few days each year. At this point, there is just no longer a need for all that info to be dumped at the exact same time. There is a reason for The Game Awards to exist. As of now, there isn’t one for E3.
WINNER: Taylor Cole and The Game Awards
As always, we end Clash at the Stash with an interview with the winner:
Shelby Royal: “Wow! What a win. I’m sure Geoff Keighley would be super proud of your victory (and that’s all that really matters, right?). What would be your perfect Game Awards reveal announcement in the coming year?”
Taylor Cole: “Thanks Shelby and great job hosting! What would be my personal ‘perfect announcement’ at TGA? I’m going to say God of War 2 or WB Montreal’s Batman game. But, as we all know, WB Montreal has been so slow to show anything about that Batman game so we probably won’t see an announcement until 2030 (at the earliest).”
Did the right person win? What topics do you want to see us tackle next? Let us know in the comments below!
