Daily Debate: Was Tears of the Kingdom Robbed of Game of the Year at The Game Awards?

December brings closure to a year of gaming with the annual Game Awards. This year, with the release of the much-anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom along with it’s insane amount of record-breaking sales, huge fan base, and high praise, many thought that this masterpiece of a game had the “Game of the Year” award in the bag. However, in the endgame, Baldur’s Gate 3 took home the crown, with Tears of the Kingdom only winning one of the five awards it was nominated for, (Best Action/Adventure Game). There has been a pretty mixed reaction about this game’s performance at the awards, especially because this sequel didn’t manage to snag the same award as Breath of the Wild, which won Game of the Year in 2017.

There are so many good games out in the world that pave the way for storytelling, mechanics, and new forms of entertainment, and I respect that, but I can’t say I’m not disappointed that Tears of the Kingdom didn’t manage to snag the biggest award this time around. I thought it brought a grand story, brilliant mechanics, and so much heart to the world of gaming this year, gathering both new and old fans of Zelda together for another masterpiece of an adventure. I’ve yet to play Baldur’s Gate 3, and maybe I’m biased, but I think Tears of the Kingdom deserved the Game of the Year title.

Regardless, Nintendo continues to bring masterful, emotional, and evocative gaming adventures to us fans, and they should be proud of their achievements with Tears of the Kingdom. I can’t wait to see what they bring to my favorite series of all time in the coming years.

What do you think? Was Tears of the Kingdom robbed of the Game of the Year award? Let me know in the comments!

Chakell Herbert

Chakell (pronounced shuh-kell) is an associate editor for Zelda Dungeon! She has loved The Legend of Zelda series since she was a little girl because of its equal mix of princesses, besting bad guys, and heartfelt stories. Chakell lives in the overall tame state of Utah, but holds onto her childhood hopes to find an adventure in her backyard one day. She has a degree in English and is a full-time editor for a magazine. You can usually find her gaming (obviously), laughing with her husband, taking a long time to tell stories because she keeps getting distracted; getting sucked into books and podcasts; or snuggling her cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.