Over the past couple of months, I’ve noticed a growing trend on social media calling out apparent miscarriages of justice with award shows. It started with the announcement of the 2023 Game Awards nominations. When Starfield wasn’t nominated for the Game of the Year, there were yelps of Sony bias from Geoff Keighley (who isn’t responsible for the nominations). When Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 earned zero wins from its eight nominations, some sectors of social media were calling shenanigans. I put this down to normal, annoying, console war tribalism BS, but I’m beginning to think there’s more to it.

I’m not going to out any of my friends (you know who you are), but during the Emmys, I saw rhetoric like “HOW THE F*CK CAN YOU NOT GIVE EVAN PETERS AN EMMY FOR [Monster]. HE POURED HIS HEART AND SOUL INTO THAT ROLE,” and “I’m happy for Jennifer Coolidge but how Rhea Seehorn hasn’t won an Emmy for Kim Wexler is a travesty!” It’s exhausting. Chill your beans!

It’s all a matter of opinion, and if that doesn’t match yours, it’s not the end of the world. 

But here’s a short guide to manage your disappointment and re-evaluate your saltiness.

1. There Are Other Awards Shows

Ok, so your pick didn’t win that award you were sure they were going to win. Nowadays, there are hundreds of awards your pick could win. So why does it matter that they didn’t win this award? There are plenty of accolades they are able to achieve, regardless of this particular awards show.

Let’s take The Last of Us Part 2 (TLOU2) from 2020 as an example. TLOU2 is the most-awarded game of all time. It has received 321 Game of the Year awards. In the same year, Ghost of Tsushima won 74 Game of the Year awards. That’s 395 awards between two games in 2020, and there are many other award shows that didn’t pick either (like IGN Japan, who picked Final Fantasy VII Remake!)

We’re drowning in awards shows!

2. Is The Winner Undeserving?

Ask yourself, was the winner undeserving of recognition? Were they objectively bad (if you even bothered to check out their stuff in the first place)? I’m sure the winner you think is an injustice delivered a performance to be proud of, too. 

My personal Game of the Year in 2023 was Sea of Stars, and I could talk about it for hours, regardless of whether you tell me to stop or not! In The Game Awards, it wasn’t even nominated for the top gong. Is that disappointing? For me, of course. However, I can see the quality of Alan Wake 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and the eventual winner, Baldur’s Gate 3. 

Good God, man, you can f*ck a BEAR in Baldur’s Gate 3! You’ve gotta respect that!

3. Being Nominated is an Achievement

It sounds like a cliche, but being nominated is a real achievement. To be shortlisted from a metric sh*t-tonne of actors, actresses, movies, albums, or whatever the award is for, is recognition in itself. Of course, it’s disappointing when your choice doesn’t win the award, but imagine if they weren’t even nominated! That would have been a real slap in the face. 

Bob Odenkirk has been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in six of the last nine Emmy Awards! That’s one hell of an achievement. Ok, so he didn’t win any of them, and I’m sure he’s disappointed he didn’t ultimately take home a statuette, but it’s unbelievably impressive to be this consistently awesome. 

I love Bob Odenkirk.

4. Stop Caring

It’s a simple concept. Don’t care as much. What does it actually matter anyway? As long as you’ve not had a wager with a friend over the result, you’re not losing anything from your favorite missing out on the gong. You’ve been supporting them out of love and you’re not going to stop just because it lost out on an award. That support is priceless. 

Award shows are industries giving their participants a collective pat on the back. Well done, you’re amazing! You da best! NO NO NO, YOUUU da best! Actors, artists, and games get the adoration of the fans all year round, and I’m sure they appreciate it. If that’s not enough, then fine. 

But I’m not going to lose sleep over who doesn’t come first in the celebrity circle jerk. 

5. Objectively Re-Assess

If all else fails, maybe you need to take a long, hard look at yourself. Are you a good judge of what is critically good? Maybe you aren’t. And that’s fiiiiiiine. We love you anyway. It just means your choices won’t be winning much, and you had better get used to it. 

Did you think Jason Momoa should get the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Dante Reyes in Fast X? Of course you did. He was excellent, and you’re not blind. I mean, he deserves something just for that Weekend at Bernie’s skit! But if you think Zack Snyder should get the Oscar for Best Director for Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire, you are straight-up tripping. That movie is ass, and the acting makes Momoa’s performance feel like Sir Laurence Olivier.

Again, because his acting was masterful. Why are you laughing? Stop it! No, you’re the one who’s wrong!

So if you’re feeling salty, just take a breath and let it alllll wash away. Or, if I’ve made you more salty, tell me in the comments below!