SpikeTV Gets Gaming Right with Awards Show

LAS VEGAS--I’ve been a judge for the past three SpikeTV “VGAs” (Video Game Awards) and I have to say Las Vegas is definitely my preferred venue for this awards show, which airs December 9 at 9 p.m. on SpikeTV and will get rotation for the next few weeks. While this year’s show didn’t have quite the star power of the LA shows, most of the celebs that showed up were gamers. And the musical groups—Foo Fighters and Kidd Rock—were awesome this year.

Spending time in the green room this year was an interesting experience. Don King posed for pictures while Spider-Man creator Stan Lee sat by himself and Tony Hawk played Rock Band with some assorted comedians. Skateboarders were well represented with Ryan Sheckler of MTV’s “Life of Ryan” attending as well as ? of EA’s SKATE game. The stars of NBC’s hit show, “Chuck,” Zach Levi and Josh Gomez--arguably the biggest gamers I’ve ever interviewed—played Rock Band on the red carpet (as many attendees did) as well as in the green room.

When it comes to games, EA had a great collection of games on hand for players to check out on Xbox 360, including a brand new build of Burnout Paradise chock full of new features, The Simpsons Game, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08 and Rock Band. Nintendo had four Wii games set up, including Wii Sports’ Boxing, which was a big hit. Every time I turned around, another four people were jamming on Rock Band.

Over at the beautiful Wynn Casino, which is where the attending VGA judges stayed, there was a hospitality suite over at the Tower Suites with every game console set up and a stack of games for each. SpikeTV definitely made sure there were games to play for everyone.

I have to say—and I’m not being biased because I’m one of the 40 judges who nominated and then voted on the winning games—that the VGAs, which celebrate their Fifth Anniversary with this telecast, are the most legitimate form of awards for the game industry today. Unlike the Interactive Achievement Awards, which aren’t televised and require entrants to pay for consideration, the VGAs is a great representation of the top games of the year. That’s because SpikeTV got it right by turning to the gaming press—and not just the hardcore gaming magazines, but the mainstream press who cover games, as well—and letting them drive both the nomination process and (a first for this year) the voting for the top games.

What this means to gamers is that they truly have an awards show that matters. There’s no Hollywood lobbying of lavish gifts like the Golden Globes and no ego-driven voting like at the Oscars. The best games of the year actually make it into the VGAs. The thing that’s become hard, though, since so many good games shipped this year, is deciding which one is the best in each category. But the important thing is that there won’t be second-guessing like there is when movies are nominated, and others aren’t. The VGAs get it right, and I’m glad SpikeTV has stuck with this show, although they’ve tweaked the format and the venue each year. I’m looking forward to many more great awards shows to come.