The glitz, the glamor, the game trailers! The Game Awards is often compared to other creative arts awards shows, like the Oscars, and with good reason. They both exist to honor the great artistic achievements of their form. They both also seem to have a hidden industry agenda. For Hollywood, it's all about filmmakers patting one another on the back for making political and social statements. The Game Awards focuses more on bombarding us with trailers, sometimes at the expense of actual awards. After all, it's been a whole six months since E3. The hype beast demands to be fed once more!
For all of their similarities, however, The Game Awards lags behind the Oscars in one major way: the fashion! Oscar fashion is so iconic that some outlets dedicate their coverage to who wore what. As we at TheGamer saw the bold fashion choices brought to The Game Awards, we couldn't help but wonder why anyone wasn't talking about them. So let's do it! Here's the article no one asked for. Here are the best ensembles seen at The Game Awards 2019.
Geoff Keighley
It seems fitting to start with the man who created and hosts The Game Awards. Geoff Keighley is the first person to take the stage, and so is the one to set the tone for the whole program. His clothing choice contributes to that greatly. How does one simultaneously go formal to mark a special industry occasion and keep it casual because, you know, gamer? Apparently you wear a suit with sneakers. And you don't wear socks with those low-top sneakers. It is Keighley's show. If he makes that the dress code, than it's the dress code.
Sydnee Goodman
Pre-show host Sydnee Goodman kept in line with the theme of "sort of the Oscars, but more chill" with her ensemble. The sparkly, single-sleeved top is reminiscent of the kind of dress you might see on a red carpet. But when the camera pulled back, she had simple black pants and heels on. It was a nice halfway point between elaborate dress and business casual.
Lauren Mayberry
The band Chvrches took the stage to open The Game Awards with a song from Death Stranding. Dressed in appropriate Kojima World fashion was Lauren Mayberry, the singer. During her powerful performance, she swished her cape. And really, that's all she needed to do. If you've got a cape, why not swish? Mayberry's command of the look makes a great case for capes coming back into fashion.
This Guy From ZA/UM
The big winner of The Game Awards 2019 was Disco Elysium. The indie hit about a detective with an alcohol problem took home four awards. Every time, these four people from developer ZA/UM would go on stage to accept the award. The woman holding the award in this photo, Helen Hindpere, did most of the talking. Standing at her side was the unassuming man on the right. Or he would be unassuming were it not for his distinct fashion sense.
Just look at that shirt with its sharp V-neck collar. Or those loose pants rolled at the ankle so those red socks could show. And then of course the hat to top it all off. It's just so unique and color-coordinated that he looks like a video game character. And we mean that as a compliment.
Norman Reedus
Fan-favorite Death Stranding and Walking Dead star Norman Reedus proved that simple is sometimes best. He wore the blazer-and-t-shirt combo that so many dudes bring to The Game Awards. But he pulled it off by not having any logos on his shirt, making it mesh more nicely with the jacket. More importantly, he didn't wear sneakers. With his slick black shoes, he showed a great way to do casual without going too casual.
Ninja
On the opposite side of the spectrum from Norman Reedus is Tyler "Ninja" Blevins. Look, it would be easy to make fun of this garish clothing choice. But after giving it some thought... Ninja knows who he is, and that's respectable. His brand is colorful and he's leaning into that with this suit. For that confidence, he earns a spot on this list.
Green Day
For the most part, this year's Game Awards was a pretty by-the-book affair. Awards were given, trailers were shown, and lots of developers talked about lots of games. But things changed once Green Day took the stage. Who knows if The Game Awards producers wanted a family-friendly show, but Billie Joe didn't care. He flipped off the camera at one point and held that bird up defiantly. He told the audience they could get out of their assigned seats and dance if they wanted. When only a few took the offer, he told them to get the f**k up. Multiple times.
Green Day was on point when it came to their usual clothing style. But they also came dressed in their trademark punk attitude and injected some fun into the Game Awards.
The Chad Reggie
Reggie Fils-Amie might not work for Nintendo anymore, but he will forever be a meme. He knows it, he seems to love it, and he's totally game to play it up for the fans. Such as when he strode out on the Game Awards stage wearing his Filsamech glasses from an old Nintendo E3 sketch. With such a simple fashion statement, he brought us all together as fans. And if that's not the point of The Game Awards, then we don't know what is.
Well, the point is excessive advertising. But we're going to say it's unity and end things on a happy note.