what’s it like to attend the game awards in person?
While visiting my parents for the holidays last year, I watched the Game Awards alone in their TV room. No watch party with friends, and no celebratory food spread -- just myself, and the palpable excitement I held for the biggest night in gaming. When the 2024 Game Awards ended, I made a promise to myself: Next year, I'll be there in person to share in the excitement. I've always loved the gaming industry, but as a fan, it always felt like a world away. Attending the 2025 Game Awards in person closed that gap, and delivered an experience that made me feel more a part of this industry than I ever have before. From the excitement generated by being surrounded by thousands passionate gaming fans and devs alike, to the larger-than-life theatrics of the Game Awards stage production, and everything in between, there's nothing quite like attending the Game Awards in person.
The Lead Up
The Peacock Theatre opened its doors at 3:30 PT, and when my partner and I arrived just 15 minutes later, the line had already extended all the way back to Figueroa Street. For those unfamiliar with the area, that's a really long way. Looking out at the line ahead, I noticed two types of fans: those dressed in a mix of formal and semi-formal attire for the event, and those dressed in Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 cosplay. With the game's booming popularity, seeing an army of red berets certainly didn't come as a surprise. It began to make even more sense when much of the Sandfall Interactive team arrived dressed to the nines in the game's much-beloved "Baguette" outfit. It almost felt like Sandfall put out a memo to fans attending the awards to show out in their best Expedition fashion.
As we shuffled into the theatre, the energy around us began to rise exponentially. Being surrounded by countless excited gaming fans alongside popular gaming YouTubers like Kit and Krysta and the GameSpot crew, I couldn't help but stop and think, 'We're actually here at the Game Awards, this is actually real". However, it was when we finally made it to our seats that the magnitude of this venture truly began to set in. Those who have watched the show on YouTube will no doubt be familiar with TGA's bombastic, Grammy-esque style of presentation, but playing witness to the size and scope of the stage design in person revealed just how big and impressive this production really is.
The Show
The Game Awards features a host of game trailers, world premieres, and of course, the awards themselves, with a series of advertisements and musical performances sprinkled into the mix to round out the show. Perhaps the most consistent piece of criticism lodged against the show from year to year is how this formula has resulted in an unbalanced experience, where the awards, musical performances, and world premieres provide the peaks, and the ads and gotcha-game trailers provide the valleys. These peaks and valleys are intensified when viewing the show in person. The electricity that can be felt from each and every surrounding fan during an exciting reveal is undeniably palpable. On the other end of the spectrum, watching scores of fans filter out of the theatre during the ads that would often follow an exciting announcement served as further evidence of the shift in momentum they created. I'm not mentioning this to pass judgment on the show. Regular viewers, including myself, understand that Geoff Keighley has to pay the bills for this production, and that these ads are the most effective way for him to do so. With that understanding in mind, moving through the slower moments of the show didn't do much to dampen the in-person experience.
Despite the valleys, I walked away from this year's show buzzing from its many peaks, and even more so the feeling of experiencing those peaks in person. Hearing murmurs of excitement build into thunderous cheering from people around me as a mysterious announcement would unfold into an exciting reveal felt like playing witness to a volcano erupting. I'll never forget the feeling of watching the crowd react to Star Wars: Fate of The Old Republic, or seeing Resident Evil fans cheer as if they'd won the lottery during Resident Evil Requiem's Leon S. Kennedy character reveal. And that Divinity announcement trailer? Let’s just say that there was a feeling of unsteady, yet powerful excitement in the air for what we had all just witnessed. The thing is, being in the room amongst fellow gaming fans during these special moments is winning the lottery. In a world where the vast majority of our social interaction, especially in the world of gaming, takes place within the digital realm, physically being a part of this energy not only feels amazing, but is also important.
Though the presentation of the awards is a notably smaller portion of this ceremony, witnessing this tradition in person turned out to be an unexpectedly powerful experience. I can recall watching as Jennifer English gave a passionate speech about strength and belonging when she accepted her award for best performance during the Golden Joysticks, and feeling moved by her words coming through the screen. However, when I experienced her give a similar acceptance speech during the Game Awards, it felt as though her words were cutting right through me. Her message reverberated through the room like thunder and captivated the hearts of everyone in the audience, especially those in the red beret army. It was something I came to appreciate more and more as the night went on, resulting in a deeper appreciation for this medium and the people who keep it turning.
The Musical Performances
One of my favorite aspects of the Game Awards is the musical performances. From guest appearances from well-known artists to the Game Awards orchestra and beyond, these musical performances are always a highlight of the show -- and experiencing them in person was nothing short of awe-inspiring. At the halfway point in this year's show, Evanescence took the stage to perform Afterlife, their original theme song written for the Devil May Cry anime. I grew up listening to Evanescence, and I can say with complete honesty that I wasn't expecting The Game Awards to be the place I would see them live for the first time. Nevertheless, they absolutely brought the house down. Watching and listening to them perform at the Game Awards felt like I was at an honest to God rock concert -- a testament to Geoff Keighley's high-quality bar for the live stage production.
Then came the Game of the Year Orchestra medley. Picture this: You're finally getting to see a band or an artist that you've been a fan of for a long time, and each note ringing out from the stage holds you captive in a trance of excitement and awe. That's what it was like sitting through the Game of the Year medley in person. What had previously been a musical performance I was accustomed to listening to online became something I could feel thumping through my chest and conquering all of my senses. Sure, I’ve attended other video game orchestra concerts in the past, but there was an energy to this performance that felt distinct, powerful, and simply unforgettable. If you are a fan of video game music, I implore you to come watch the Game Awards orchestra at least once in your life.
I'm Glad I Made My Game Awards Dream Come True
I'll be forever glad that I made my dream of coming to the Game Awards come true. It wasn't easy. It took a year of logistical to make it happen, but it was all done out of a love of this medium and a desire to continue diving deeper and deeper into it. In some weird way, today's gaming landscape has us more connected than we've ever been while remaining a hobby that is largely enjoyed in isolation. LAN parties are (unfortunately) no longer the norm, and more and more people are meeting up with their squads online rather than getting together on the couch to play. Attending the Game Awards has broken down that wall for me. It served as a place to come together with fans equally as passionate as I am to celebrate one of the best art forms on the planet. From seeing advertisements for games like Arc Raiders out in the public spaces near the theatre, to watching as the world reacted to new and upcoming titles, attending the Game Awards reminded me of just how strong the gaming community is. Sure, between buying the tickets, traveling to L.A., and grabbing a hotel, it was not a cheap venture. However, if you're an enthusiast who cares about what's going on in the industry, then attending the show in person is well worth the price of admission. Go to the show. You will not regret it!
Note: Looking for a hotel? I highly recommend the E-Central Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. It's less than five minutes walking from the theater, is relatively cheap for one night, and is a really nice quality hotel. This isn't an ad for the hotel, but since I enjoyed my stay there, I'd easily recommend it to anyone traveling to next year's Game Awards and beyond!