According to Polygon, The Game Awards has been running since its 2014 premiere, making it an 11-year-old institution that still lacks a universally adopted nickname like “the Oscars.” The show, hosted by Geoff Keighley, evolved from the Spike Video Game Awards (VGAs) and aims for a more mature, prestige vibe compared to its predecessor. The article notes that other major awards shows took time to earn their nicknames, like the Oscars in 1939 and the Grammys in 1959, and argues it’s high time The Game Awards got one. Polygon’s suggested nickname is “The Geoffies,” playing on Keighley’s first name and fitting neatly into the existing “TGA” acronym. Keighley himself did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment on the proposed name.
The Nickname Problem
Here’s the thing: Polygon has a point. “The Game Awards” is a mouthful. It’s clunky. And in an industry built on memes, shorthand, and inside jokes, the fact that we’re still formally saying the whole thing a decade later is kinda weird. The Oscars, Emmys, Tonys—they all earned their casual names through public adoption and a bit of myth-making. The Game Awards feels like it’s still waiting for permission, or maybe for someone to just decide.
But the comparison to those legacy shows is also where the argument gets tricky. The Oscars have nearly a century of cultural weight behind them. The Game Awards, for all its viewership and trailer hype, is still fundamentally a marketing event with awards sprinkled in. Does it deserve a cute nickname? That’s the real question Polygon is dancing around. The push for a “Geoffie” is as much about wanting the show to be more prestigious as it is about what to call it.
Geoff Keighley’s Awkward Kingdom
Naming it “The Geoffies” would cement the show’s identity around its host and producer in a way no other major awards show really does. And that’s a double-edged sword. Keighley is a fascinating figure—part earnest superfan, part corporate hype man. He’s the connective tissue, as seen in pieces from The LA Times and even in the quirky focus on his trademark sneakers. But making him the namesake also highlights the show’s central tension: is this a celebration of artistic achievement, or is it Geoff Keighley’s Annual Trailer Show?
Some critics, like those at Destructoid, would argue it’s overwhelmingly the latter. So slapping his name on it might be more honest than aspirational. It acknowledges that the event’s personality is inextricably linked to one man’s vision, for better or worse.
What’s in a Name, Anyway?
Looking at the history Polygon dug up is revealing. These nicknames often came from quirky, organic origins—a statuette that looked like someone’s uncle, a rejected tech term. The “Ellies” for magazine awards came from an elephant sculpture. The Grammys from the gramophone. They weren’t focus-grouped. They just stuck.
“The Geoffies” feels a bit forced by comparison. It’s a top-down suggestion, not a bottom-up organic moment. But maybe that’s the only way it happens now, in our hyper-managed media landscape. The show’s identity has been carefully crafted from the start, as earlier reports on its independent online shift show. A nickname might need to be part of that branding package.
The Verdict on “The Geoffies”
Will it catch on? Probably not. Not because it’s a bad idea, but because these things need to feel earned. The gaming community is notoriously resistant to corporate-mandated slang. “The Geoffies” might work as an affectionate joke among critics and on social media, but I doubt we’ll see Keighley open next year’s show with “Welcome to The Geoffies!”
And maybe that’s fine. The constant comparison to the Oscars might be holding the show back more than its name is. It’s its own weird, messy, hype-driven beast. Trying to make it seem more buttoned-up with a fancy nickname might miss the point. The show is what it is: a spectacle. Whether you call it The Game Awards, the TGAs, or secretly in your head, “that thing where they show the new game trailers,” its function is clear. A new name won’t change the fundamental product—but it would make talking about it a little easier.
