Astro Bot, a platform game for PlayStation 5 (PS5), has just won the most coveted award at The Game Awards 2025: Game of the Year. This decision surprised many people online, which naturally led to many taking to social media to express their anger and outrage.

The reaction to Astro Bot being named Game of the Year is a prime example of how the internet and gaming culture can divide people, despite their promise as forms of connection.

Before we get there, however, let’s take some time and look at what actually happened.

What is AstroBot? And how did the internet react to it being named Game of the Year?

Astro Bot is a video game developed by Team Asobi and released worldwide on PS5 on September 6, 2024. The game itself is a 3D platformer where players control the eponymous character Astro Bot, who explores and moves through imaginary worlds.

Reviewers, both professional and amateur, raved about the title, with Metacritic receiving universal acclaim from both sides. Currently, Astro Bot sits at 94 with critics and 9.2 with users, both close to the respective cutoffs of 100 and 10.

It came as no surprise to many that the title picked up a string of wins at the 2024 Game Awards:

Still, some members of the online world aren’t so pleased. In fact, many were downright angry that Astro Bot was named Game of the Year and started posting negative posts and creating memes to express their displeasure:

This feeling of anger, disappointment and confusion is reflected in a variety of tweets, such as this meme that uses the painting “Stańczyk” by Jan Matejko to convey her emotional state:

What’s interesting is that there is an equally strong reaction defending Astro Bot’s victory:

And there are even direct conflicts between supporters and opponents of the game:

This raises some questions: What is happening? Why are people so passionate about winning and winning a game? And what role does social media play in this?

Why is the internet so divided on whether Astro Bot is the best game of the year?

There are a few things we need to discuss to understand the online reaction to Astro Bot. The first is the role that video games play in many people’s lives.

In a study by Frontline Psychiatry, Researchers found that escapism is “one of the main motivations for playing virtual games.”

This has a mix of negative and positive results. The positive part of this escapism is that it can “promote self-confidence, determination, a sense of belonging in virtual communities and representation through avatars.”

Disadvantages include elements such as a “non-adaptive real social life” and a “negative perception of…real life.”

In other words, for many people, video games become a community hub, a place of belonging and socializing that they may not have outside of their computer or console.

This can lead to an incredible personal investment in games. People have entire online communities based on enjoyment of a title, be it Elden Ring or Astro Bot.

When something that’s supposed to unite the industry happens, like the Game Awards, some people become so attached to the games they love that their immediate reaction to the rest of the world that doesn’t share the same opinion is to attack violently . Or, on the other hand, celebrate wildly and affirmatively when the game they like is recognized.

And social media amplifies this.

An interesting study reports Scientific American showed that influencers are one of the elements driving online polarization. As the article explains, an influencer in network science is someone who is connected to many other people. In other words: well-followed accounts. It is these individuals or groups that are able to influence large crowds, influence opinion online, and contribute to radical views.

Combine this with the fact that extreme views result in a post getting more likes and therefore how many times it is seen, and you’re left with an environment designed to prioritize strong opinions.

This is what happened with Astro Bot.

The Game of the Year award caught the attention of dedicated communities, some of whom liked it and some of whom didn’t. This led to influential figures voicing their views and these polarizing positions being rewarded through engagement.

While it’s nice to see people celebrating online, it’s a shame when a moment of joy, such as a lesser-known title like Astro Bot winning Game of the Year, is marred by a negative outburst.

Whether good or bad, that is the nature of the online world in our time. All we can do is watch and try not to get drawn into a negative discourse. With that in mind, congratulations, Astro Bot. You deserve this win.