Game Awards of the Year

Around October 3, 1996, in the USA, the video game awards ceremony of Electronic Gaming and GameFan began. The Carnegie Hall was already bustling with people; the production team to broadcast the event was already in place.

Many video game entertainment companies entered the hall and sat upon seats. Murmured discussions took place. Then, a blonde American host appeared on the stage. There was a large LED Screen behind him, on which were written: [The First Game Awards Ceremony of EG & GameFan: A Night of Pixels and Passion!]

The American blonde host then spoke, welcoming the people and making some funny jokes that gamers could understand. For example, "Big round of applause for the Best Soundtrack category! And the award goes to... the dogs in 'Resident Evil!' Seriously, those barks still haunt my dreams."

The audience laughed, and the video games team that was nominated in the event, voted in each category, also laughed softly.

The nominees turned to the "Resident Evil 1" team, who were the representatives for the game.

"I see we've got some real survival horror fans here. Just remember, if you see a zombie with a fedora, run! And for the love of polygons, don't waste ammo on the dogs!"

When the host said that, the audience, including the video game fans in attendance, laughed.

The "Resident Evil 1" team also joined in the laughter with the other nominees.

"Speaking of 'Resident Evil,' the award for Best Use of Tank Controls goes to... the entire cast of Resident Evil 1! Talk about limited movement options! You could turn faster with a brick tied to your leg."

The "Resident Evil 1" team, consisting of Japanese members, laughed along with the others, but deep inside, they were already contemplating how to improve their game next time.

After the "Resident Evil 1" jokes by the host, the host continued to joke about some video games. However, some teams representing those video games didn't take it lightly and were a bit upset, feeling their games were insulted. They even considered walking out, but since the event was live, doing so would only further embarrass themselves.

Following the break in the joke session, the host received a reminder from the higher-ups to tone down his jokes about other video games. Although the host disliked being held back, he had no choice.

The Electronic Gaming and GameFan were hosting the video game ceremony event, which was still relatively new, and they had yet to establish themselves as a reputable host for video game awards ceremonies.

While the company Electronic Gaming and GameFan held influence in the video game magazine industry, the event they were currently hosting presented a different challenge.

Many teams representing their video games primarily came from Japan and other countries. Approximately 48 percent were Japanese, 35 percent were American, and 17 percent were from either Europe or Asia.

After the host's mixture of roasting and praising the nominated video games, the ceremony was finally about to begin. It started with the early announcement awards, with the first being "The Most Anticipated Game" from the years 1994-1996.

The years 1994 and 1995 were included due to the numerous video games that generated buzz during that time.

The nominated video games were "GTA III," "Metal Gear Solid I," "Resident Evil 1," "Gloomy: The Land of Happiness," "Uprising," "Religion of Nightmares," "Silent Hill," and "Roar of Destruction," among others.

The award was ultimately received by "Metal Gear Solid I." It was a close competition with "GTA III," but the latter was currently facing some issues. Although KiShin had mostly resolved them, there were still lingering undercurrents.

Following "The Most Anticipated Game," the ceremony proceeded with "The Community Choice Award," which was won by "Resident Evil 1."

Next was the "Sports Game of the Year," and the award went to "Football World," a video game resulting from the collaboration between Tora-Suzuki.

KiShin was still focused on developing sports video games, offering mainly 8-bit or 16-bit casual sports games like football and basketball.

After the early awards categories, the ceremony delved into other segments such as Best Action, Best RPGs, and more. Interestingly, some of KiShin's action and RPG video games from a few years ago were also nominated and received votes.

Viewers watching the video game awards ceremony at home through television were keenly interested in discovering which video games were considered the best in various categories.

Surprisingly, most of the award-winning games hailed from KiShin. However, certain categories saw victories for video games from Tora, Suzuki, Kuma Games, Shinroads, and others.

The majority of the video games hailed from Japan, with KiShin being a significant contributor to this trend.

While some game developers didn't secure awards, they didn't feel disheartened, considering the event's relatively early stage and lack of prestige. They found satisfaction in the exposure their video games received on television. Though not overly disappointed, they pledged to create even better video games to surpass Japanese companies in the future.

As the video game awards ceremony continued, the "Best Game of the Year Award" was awarded to "GTA III."

The reason behind "GTA III" winning the award was its graphics, pushing the limits of the 32-bit system, along with a captivating setting, compelling story, and top-notch sound effects.

The game developers weren't overly surprised by "GTA III" winning the "Best Game of the Year." Despite moral issues with the game, they believed it was the rightful recipient of the accolade.

Following this, viewers at home discovered other video games that received awards in specific categories, sparking their interest to play them.

They could either rent these games on "Netflix" or purchase them from "GameStop."