I’ve got a confession to make – I don’t have cable. Nor did I watch the Spike Video Game Awards (VGX) this year (even though they streamed it). Like many gamers, I found previous installments to be a bit of a joke and just missing “something.” This post will attempt to provide critiques and possible solutions on how the VGX could be better, or provide some insight on an entirely new video games award show that would actually be taken seriously!
Get your Hollywood out of my Gaming Awards Show!
One of the biggest issues of previous years was that the whole thing seemed too commercialized. I don’t care that Samuel L. Jackson or Joel McHale is hosting! In fact, I’d rather have someone in the industry be in that spot. Let Ken Levine, John Carmack, Cliffy B, or Gabe Newell host. Give us someone who’s been around and really understands the gaming industry. Hell, it could even be one of the gaming journalists that make up the VGX’s “advisory council.”
Granted, a few of the aforementioned choices may not be the “best” to host an awards show. But unless a celebrity is a known gamer, why are they hosting? Hell, slap one of the many voice actors we know and love in that role! Someone who really knows and understands the industry; someone who has a passion for what’s going on in the world of gaming.
As I said, I didn’t watch the show. But from what I gathered on twitter, it sounds like Joel McHale was a poor choice as host, with many saying that he was downright rude to developers and the gaming community. Personally, I think the guy is hilarious. But it all goes back to my original point – why was he hosting a video games award show?
Tell me what the fans think
Another thing I noticed was that some of the nominees for various categories were odd, if not downright bizarre. Part of that may be due to the fact that a group of game journalists (VGX’s advisory council) chose what games were the “best” in the industry.
Look, I don’t doubt these people know games. And in all honesty, I’m fine that we got to see their choices. From my end though, I’d want to see more of what fans liked. The biggest problem with the VGX in my mind, is that we have three categories voted on by fans compared to twenty voted on by the council. Come on man! At least allow fans to vote on what games they think are the best. You can still let the council vote too, just do what many magazines or outlets have done in the past – show me what the council voted for then show me what the masses chose. That’s what interests me as they’re the ones actually buying the games.
I want to hear what gamers have to say. Yes, I follow some of the council members on twitter, if I didn’t respect their opinions, I wouldn’t follow them. But what do people like?
An example is the phenomenon that is Call of Duty. I’m not a big fan of the series, but clearly, I’m in the minority as it continues to be a huge success. Why? What do people love so much about it? I won’t know until I hear what others have to say. And I want to have those discussions, even about games I may not be interested in. That to me is far more fascinating as it has more potential to sway me or make me try new things.
Even if I disagree with someone’s opinion, giving “power to the people” and allowing them to nominate games, or even choose them from a predetermined list allows us to try to see what’s going on in the world of gaming. It gives us more a sense of its pulse. That’s interesting.
With no voice for fans, all of this kind of feeds into the sense that the VGX is a farce. It’s not an award show by the people or even for the people. It’s a damn circus full of products, advertisements and celebrities. The funny thing is, the people in the limelight aren’t even “our” celebrities.
What the hell is a game awards show doing on Spike?
First off, I’m not even sure if Spike is still aiming for being a network geared towards men. But whatever the hell it is now – why is a video game award show on a network for men? Yes, men game. But so do plenty of women. And from my perspective, an award show for video games doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on such a network. When G4 focused on gaming, I could totally see that. But Spike? I can’t get memories of The Man Show out of my mind. Sure, I loved that when I was thirteen. But I’m thirty now. I’m not saying an awards show has to be a bunch of people in suits reading scripted speeches. But it doesn’t need to come across as so damn infantile either. The fact that we have such a show on a network with an identity crisis is one of many reasons why the Video Game Awards aren’t taken seriously by the gaming community.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, I’m not going to waste my time watching Spike’s video game awards for the various examples listed above. One of the issues may be that it’s on cable, and because of that, the commercialization and hackneyed approach is made by people who clearly don’t understand the material – i.e., games. G4 had its own share of issues, but I always felt the people involved with most of their video game programming were gamers and really knew what was going on. It didn’t feel forced or half-assed, something Spike’s VGX pulls off in spades. Personally, I’d love to see someone with the financial backing to create an awards show that carries some weight with it. It’d be fascinating to see Penny Arcade or even Valve or Blizzard do something like this. And you wouldn’t even have to have it on television. And I bet you it’d be huge.
Do I hate the VGX? Nope. But if the people behind the scenes don’t get their act together, it’ll never be taken seriously by gamers.
Ultimately, only time will tell.
I’d love to see them get it together. But when gamers from all across the internet are laughing at your efforts or even getting angry, clearly, you’re doing something wrong.
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