This year The Game Awards finally tackled the plague of game industry layoffs

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(Image credit: The Game Awards)

For the first time, Geoff Keighley used his platform at The Game Awards to address head-on the plague of layoffs that have decimated the videogame industry over the past two years.

"The sad reality is that over the past few years the gaming industry has suffered significant and unprecedented industry-wide layoffs," Keighley said.

"Those affect the games we get to play and even more importantly, the people who make the games we love. We can debate and certainly disagree with the reasons why, and honesty as a show, we kind of struggle with how to address these topics in a constructive way."

But this year, Keighley said The Game Awards "found greatness" in Amir Satvat, selected as the recipient of the first-ever Game Changer award for his work in helping thousands of laid-off developers find their way back to the industry. Amir's Games Jobs Resources website contains a wealth of information and assistance including support postings, career planning, job listings, and networking.

Thank you to Amir Satvat for always keeping the wellbeing of the game developer community close to his heart! #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/pgjsic2J4pDecember 13, 2024

"To all game makers everywhere, you are seen and treasured, and our community will always be there to help you," Amir said during his acceptance speech. "Over the last three years, we've lost more than 34,000 jobs, a staggering amount of games experience eliminated. This has consequences. You can't make great games without great people."

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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