The Spike Video Game Awards are a Complete Disgrace to the Industry
I’ve never heard of the Angry Joe Show until today, but I just watched his eight minute rant about Spike’s Video Game Awards, and I have to say that he’s dead on about a lot of issues with the ceremony. With video games an unquestionably dominant force in the entertainment industry now, as two thirds of Americans game within the past month whereas only half went to a movie, the industry deserves an award show, a REAL award show, and the VGAs are not it.
Some of Joe’s points and my responses:
- The show is too advertiser heavy. This is exceptionally true. There’s nothing wrong with a little “The VGAs are brought to you buy Coke, Ford and Wells Fargo,” before or after commercial breaks, but “Best independent game fueled by Mountain Dew? Is that a f*cking joke? Does no one on the production crew understand what “irony” is? Second point on advertising, I think it’s alright to promote games or game related films at the show, as similar things happen at the Oscars (“from the upcoming film _____ here to present Best Documentary…”) and world premiere trailers are currently the highlight of the ceremony, but don’t go overboard with it, and keep it relevant to the gaming world. Blue Mountain Valley, WTF?
- Celebrities are fine, and we need more of them, but yes, if they are obscure to the point of being embarrassing, then do not bring them. There are plenty of geek-friendly celebrities that everyone loves, so if you have to bring out Felicia Day every year, then so be it. But there are a ton of other celebs who would totally be on board if the show was actually legitimate and not the joke it currently is. But Joe, you really should know who Olivia Wilde is.
- The way games win awards seems backwards and rigged. Whether it’s rigged by the network or developers I’m not sure, but if it’s neither of those, then public voting is an absolutely moronic way to do it. Joe is right on with his “New Moon would win an Oscar” comparison. Instead, there should be a Video Game Academy, like with the Academy Awards, that selects the games nominate and then votes and picks the winners. This academy would be made up of prominent figures in the industry, with producers, developers and game journalists (*cough*) alike, and would assure some sort of result that we could actually believe wasn’t forged.
I think that if put on a proper network for a night, and given the right about of promotion, this could actually become a legitimate award show. When current data shows that anywhere from 40-70% of the country plays video games, people have to stop relegating gaming programming to channels like G4 and Spike that more or less mock gamers as they try to put them in a little box that will be impressed by hot girls spouting game facts. I’m not sure when gaming will finally start being taken seriously, but it hasn’t happened yet, and the VGAs are certainly not helping.
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I’m not a big fan of Spike, but I when I saw that the VGA’s were on I tuned in and watched for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, the 5 minutes I happened to be watching the debacle, Stephen A. Smith was ranting (ahem, beating a dead horse) about the Tiger Woods scandal. I don’t know exactly what was going on or what he was shooting for, but what I clearly remember is seeing him up in front of the mic awkwardly trying to be over-the-top funny and obscure while ignoring the fact that he actually had to announce the nominations for Best Sports Game (another thing that left a sour taste in my mouth… I hate sports games). I don’t even know if Stephen A. Smith ever actually presented the dumb award. If I remember correctly, he just kept going on and on about Tiger Woods.
It could have just been a bad coincidence or maybe Spike thought that Stephen A. Smith could actually deliver a single momentarily funny line out of his otherwise loud and obnoxious mouth, but holy crap did I see a truckload of fail in that short span of time.
I was turned off enough in five minutes or less enough to not even feel bad about watching the remainder of the program or try to catch a re-run. And gaming is my number 1 hobby.
I may be following you and Joe blindly here, but I trust your sense of creditable industry-related news enough to not feel like a hypocrite or anything of the sort when I say, “Why yes, the VGA’s did indeed suck ass.”
Just like rock n’ roll, the internets, and dirty-pirate hookers, the video game industry has proven that it has staying power. Can all the old folks now please take us young whipper snappers seriously?