Geoff Keighley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Geoff Keighley
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Keighley in 2018
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| Born | June 24, 1978 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Video game journalist, presenter |
| Years active | 1994–present |
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Notable work
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Geoff Keighley (born June 24, 1978) is a Canadian video game journalist and TV host. He is famous for hosting many big events in the video game industry.
He is the main producer and host of the Game Awards, which started in 2014. Before that, he worked on the Spike Video Game Awards. Geoff also hosts and produces Summer Game Fest. He has also hosted live shows for big events like Gamescom and the former E3.
Geoff used to host the video game show GameTrailers TV and G4tv.com. He is also a writer. His articles have appeared in places like Kotaku. His special series called The Final Hours gives a deep look into how popular games like Portal, Mass Effect, and Tomb Raider are made.
Contents
Geoff's Career in Gaming
Starting Out in Games
Geoff Keighley was born on June 24, 1978, in Toronto, Canada. His parents worked at IMAX, which helped him learn about awards shows like the Oscars. Geoff and his younger brother loved computers and video games from a young age. When he was a teenager in 1996, Geoff started GameSlice, a website for game reviews.
Geoff's first step into video game reporting was through Cybermania '94. This was the first video game awards show on TV. As a teenager, Geoff helped write parts of the show. This experience made him want to create an "Academy Awards" for video games later in his life.
In 1997, Geoff went to the University of Southern California to study business. During this time, he suggested writing long articles for GameSpot. These articles would explore how popular games were made. His first big story was about the making of Unreal. He got to see behind the scenes at Epic Games because he knew one of the founders. He also wrote about games like Daikatana and Metal Gear Solid 2. These stories helped him meet many game developers.
After his business degree, Geoff went to law school. Around 2002, he also started writing for magazines like Entertainment Weekly and Fortune. He also became a co-host for The Electric Playground.
TV Appearances
In 2003, Spike TV asked Geoff Keighley to host his own show, GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley. He also worked on other video game projects for TV. On the G4 network, he was the main host for their E3 press conference coverage. He interviewed important people from companies like Sony and Electronic Arts.
For MTV, he helped create and produce special shows about the making of the game Gears of War. In 2007, the Discovery Channel aired a five-hour documentary about game releases. Geoff helped with this show too. He also hosted special events for game launches on Spike TV. These included shows for "Madden NFL 08" and "Halo 3," which featured music performances.
In 2012, Geoff was presenting information about the game Halo 4. He was sitting near ads for certain snack products. Some people felt this showed a problem with how game journalism was done. This event made Geoff think about his career.
Geoff was asked to help with the Spike Video Game Awards from 2006. In 2013, Spike changed the show's format. Geoff felt the show became too much about advertising and less about celebrating games. Because of this, and the earlier event, he decided to leave the show.
The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest
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In 2014, Geoff used his own money to create a new awards show. He got support from big companies like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. This led to the Game Awards, which first took place in December 2014. Geoff is still the main host of this popular event.
From E3 2017 to E3 2019, Geoff hosted the E3 Coliseum. This was a live online event during E3 where developers and publishers were interviewed. However, when E3 2020 was planned to change its format (and later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Geoff decided not to organize an E3 Coliseum event or attend E3 for the first time in 25 years.
Because many game events like E3 and Gamescom were canceled in 2020, Geoff worked with game companies to start the first Summer Game Fest. This event ran from May to August 2020. During this time, Geoff helped developers share game news and announcements. Steam and Xbox also offered game demos. Summer Game Fest was held online in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, it also became an in-person event.
Ongoing Journalism
Geoff Keighley writes a series of articles called "The Final Hours." For these articles, he gets special access to game studios as a game is almost finished. He writes in detail about how the game was made. In recent years, these articles have been released as mobile apps. Geoff has said that it's important to do deep research in journalism.
Other Appearances
Geoff Keighley has appeared in video games and movies. He was a holographic character in the game Death Stranding. A mask of his face was also added to the game Among Us. In August 2021, Geoff played Uncle Theodore in Muppets Haunted Mansion. He also had a small role as a game awards presenter in The Matrix Resurrections.
Works
See also
In Spanish: Geoff Keighley para niños
