This is about the time of year when we, the gaming masses, begin debating about what game deserves the honor of Game of the Year. It's also a good time for us to reflect on the many other great games we've seen over the year (or in some cases the not so great ones.) But the gaming industry has several places that give away awards to the top games of the year.
But we are missing one that really shows up somewhere everyone can watch and enjoy AND really rewards the industry as a whole for it's work, not just the games themselves.
Do not tell me that Spike's VGA's are an equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are not. They had about a dozen or so award categories last year, want to guess how many awards I actually saw get awarded? Three. Maybe four if you count the farce that was best voice acting, which they gave to the host of the show over several, much more deserving efforts (sorry Neil Patrick Harris, but it's the truth...) Everything about this award show is a joke. It's all about trailers of new projects and the really cool people who decided to show up at our award show from elsewhere. Green Day doesn't go up on stage during the Grammys to announce a new album and M. Night Shyamalan doesn't announce his next big movie in the middle of the Academy Awards. Even if some of these other award banquets and shows have become shadows of what they used to be, it's still about celebrating the work of the industry. Spikes VGA's are about next years work, while finding time to kind of recognize the work of the past year. Also (get ready because I'm about to do some large font and caps...): MOST ANTICIPATED GAME IS THE BIGGEST JOKE OF AN AWARD EVER. PERIOD.
I'm okay now...
And while we have award shows, they almost always seem to avoid one very important part of any industry: the people behind it. Movies, TV, Music, and Theater all have awards shows that honor, not just the work, but the people. They give out awards to individuals who were important factors behind some of the best works of the year. We do not currently have an award show that really does that. The one award banquet that gets close is the one that is held at the Game Developers Conference every year. However those are only given out to longtime members of the industry like Peter Molyneux or Sid Meier. I never see any real award given to anyone in the industry for their current work. While the games are the real stars of these shows, there are people behind them who deserve some of the recognition.
Really, the GDC awards are the closest we get to a real celebration of the industry. Almost everyone in the industry, aside from a few eastern developers (which is a shame, because they should be there too), is at this show and attends the awards banquet. The awards are decided upon by the industry, for the industry. The fans and players do not get a say in the awards here. This is all about the gaming industry. While yes, we the gamers should get a say somewhere in there, it's nice to have an award show where the industry takes a good look at itself and decides who's doing the best work.
We need a true award banquet where we can see the past year in retrospect, and really remember all the great things we got to see, and all the hard work that the people behind these games put in. Every other entertainment medium has one, and they are always doing their best to respect their industry and look at all the amazing things that they have accomplished. Why should we not do the same?
I'd like to start pushing the people reading this regularly to go out and share this with all the gaming people you know. Seriously, just mention it, show it to them if they are around while you read. It'd be really cool if that followers bar on the side grows or the likes on the facebook page shoot up.
Until next time.
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