Drew “Frustrated Fury” Leachman
Ah, the VGAs. You know, I used to think they were dumb and useless. I may have even hated them at one time, but now, I really just don’t care. I haven’t watched them in over 3 years, and if they are any new announcements or trailers for new games, I usually see them that night or the next day on the web.
As far as what I would like to see in an awards show/program for video games. I say let the developers themselves make the decisions. That’s right. Have developers judge the games. I know some may say, well, they’re just going to vote for their own game. That may happen in a few instances, but for the most part, many devs enjoy other games as well. Of course, they’re will always be disagreements AKA whining and complaining from people on the internet.
Because, when it all boils down to it, awards are still a matter of opinion. I think the VGAs to help but video games in a better mainstream light, but they still give off that 12-year-old vibe to them. I mean, I saw a clip of Zachary Levi getting tea bagged for real on stage by a guy dressed up in military attire for a good 15 seconds. That’s lame, unprofessional, and gives well-respected developers and creators a childish name. If done right, a show could celebrate the new entertainment medium with a professional and more respected manner. Not having hosts being treated to something a 12 year old would do in a slayer match of Halo.
Ken “Zero Tolerance” McKown
I am going to be honest with you; I see nothing wrong with the VGAs. It is an awards show with mixed in humor that is aimed at the hipster gamers that know Call of Duty is the only videogame that matters. It is supposed to cater to the lowest common denominator, and we, as core gamers, need to realize that what we want to see is not going to last one year on television. We want developers that no one has heard of to tell us why they think gaming is changing, and no one will sponsor that outside of public access. We need the game awards for things like the big reveals; it makes it an event, and it still gives us something to look forward to. Take it away and we go back to screaming about how we want to be recognized as a legitimate medium.
The big news flash, this is us being recognized as that medium. Sure, we don’t have the equivalent of some of the larger awards shows, but it will come in time, this is a stepping stone that all mediums must take in order to become larger. The show serves its purpose, and while you may not like it, it truly isn’t for you. So, I say let the show go on, continue to serve me up awesome trailers and announcements, and if Call of Duty continues to win game of the year on that show, I say let it. You will never agree with popularity contests, so why should this one be any different?
Donald “DHouf” Houf
The video game industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. According to Reuters , in June 2011 the industry was valued at $65 Billion. As much as we love video games, we have to realize, behind the shooting and looting is a big, booming business. This business is made up of developers, designers, producers, actors, artists, programmers, journalists, economists, and so many more. They may not all seem like it sometimes (we still love you, Jaffe), but these are professionals; professionals, in a multi-billion dollar industry.
Other major players in the overall entertainment industry have award ceremonies to celebrate the great professionals and products they have put out that year. Gamers have the Video Game Awards, or more specifically, the Spike TV Video Game Awards. Let me be clear from the beginning: I watch the VGAs every year. I don’t think that the VGAs are all bad, as long as you take it for what it is: a Spike TV program. It is an awards show aimed at teenage to twenty-something boys that relies on gaming stereotypes and adolescent humor to get by. Think of it as the MTV Music Awards of Gaming. It is goofy, it is fun, and most importantly, it is a chance for developers and producers to get their product out there in front of a mass audience. The Video Game Awards are less about the awards than the big reveals and world premiers. That, in itself, is fine, but we are doing a major disservice to gamers and the gaming industry by not having a serious, respectful awards ceremony.
We should focus on the second word: respectful. I should be able to watch an awards ceremony and not be afraid that the studio heads of Bethesda are going to be forced to the ground and tea bagged (don’t act like you weren’t worried there for a second). The VGAs wouldn’t get so much hate if the gaming community had a real awards ceremony to turn to, but as far as mainstream awards ceremonies go, we don’t. I will admit that part of me is embarrassed to be a gamer after watching the VGAs because I am not the dude bro, tea bagging gamer that Spike TV clearly caters to. I am a gamer that loves the industry. I want an award show that shows me more about the industry, and gives air time to the developers and producers and not celebrities that have no business representing the gaming industry (Charlie Sheen, I’m talking to you).
Are the VGAs bad for the gaming industry? Until we have a real awards ceremony, yes. The Spike TV Video Game Awards are a horrible representation of the $65 billion industry, and gamers themselves. It’s fine to have a fun, light-hearted awards ceremony, but if we really want to show the world that games are works of art that are celebrated and enjoyed by all sorts of people, then we have to have a real, respectful, industry-focused awards ceremony. Until then, we are only hurting the world’s perception of gamers; a perception that we have fought so hard to change.
“Factbox: A look at the $65 billion video games industry”. Reuters. 6 June 2011. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/06/us-videogames-factbox-idUKTRE75552I20110606. Retrieved 13 December 2011
That’s all for this edition of the ZTGD Reviewer Rodeo. Join us next week as we grab onto another bucking bronco of controversy and beat it into submission.
Got questions or comments? Drop ’em in the comment section below or hit us up via email. Suggestions for Reviewer Rodeo topics that you want our opinions on? Hit Mike up at michaelfutter@ztgamedomain.com.
