The Game Awards 2023 Giveaway Catastrophe Has Fans Seeing Red
The 2023 Game Awards recognizes the very best the gaming industry has to offer, with copious awards given out for the best games of 2023, live performances, and trailers for new video games filling the night. However, not everything about the awards ceremony has been running at the proverbial optimal frame rate. Several users on X (formerly known as Twitter) have reported that the Game Awards' Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion giveaways aren't going quite as planned. Valve is giving away 100 Steam Deck OLEDs during the show, while Lenovo is doing the same with its Legion Go handhelds, but viewers have found that the road to win one is surprisingly rocky. Although the giveaways are being constantly advertised during the broadcast, several people who have tried to reach the giveaway sites have been unsuccessful.
"we're doing another steam deck giveaway at #TheGameAwards this year"
the giveaway: pic.twitter.com/WZWuKZmFls
— sarah 🌙 (@sarahxoluna) December 8, 2023
"Can anybody enter the @thegameawards Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go giveaway? My computer and phone say 'sorry, something went wrong' every time," user @TyleTweets described the situation. They weren't alone in this, either. Users like Emmett Watkins Jr. of "Player's Club Podcast" have noted similar issues, with update and maintenance reports popping up on both giveaway sites.
Viewers are frustrated by sites being down and long wait times
While a large number of people have reported being unable to reach the giveaway sites, some viewers have managed to get through — only to find themselves in frustratingly long virtual queues on the Steam Deck site in particular. "How is the game awards steam deck giveaway worse than last year?" @failb8 wondered, posting a screenshot that indicated an estimated waiting time of over four hours. Multiple X users have reported similar waiting times, with some noting that the awards show will be over by the time they get into the giveaway. Some have even taken potshots at Game Awards host Geoff Keighley over the frustrating turn of events.
"Guys, if we plan the steam deck giveaway during maintenance then we don't actually have to give any away"- Geoff Keighley probably #TheGameAwards #SteamDeckGiveaway pic.twitter.com/MBkHr2MWBg
— Rebecca Wallace (@becca_bdubs) December 8, 2023
Of course, the fact that fans are experiencing difficulties regarding the giveaways doesn't necessarily mean that everything is lost. Valve didn't stop handing out Steam Decks even after the 2022 Game Awards' giveaway, drawing out a further 171 winners a week after the ceremony's initial batch of fortunate gamers. As such, while it remains to be seen how Valve or Lenovo plays things this time, precedent could suggest that we may not have heard the last of the 2023 giveaway, either.