VGA 09 Impressions: Trailers, F-Bombs, Amazon Women, & Scrotum References
Spike’s 2009 Video Game Awards are over, and instead of scrutinizing the winners and losers, I’m going to talk about the shows presentation.
Highlights included several f-bombs, various half-naked amazon women standing lifelessly on the stage as different awards are being announced and accepted, and multiple references to balls (testicles) — very awkward. If I have to ever hear Jake Gyllenhaal talk about how video games make his balls feel again it will be too soon. As far as the awards go, is it too much to ask for more of the winners to actually be present? At times I felt like the entire thing could have been done remotely by networking everyone over web cams.
I love Jack Black just as much as the next guy but having him smash his recently awarded trophy for best voice in a game right as the show kicks off sort of sets the bar low. Maybe it was just me, but that came across as more of a black eye to the legitimacy of the award itself, than a funny stunt.
I have no problem with Stevie Wonder presenting the award for best music in a game, but his speech about making games more accessible for blind people sort of damped the mood for me early on. I don’t doubt that there are things developers could do to improve their games for blind individuals but I didn’t believe this was the right venue to make that statement.
Overall, I think the lack of a true host for the show hurt the presentation. Random presenters like Snoop Dogg, Olivia Wilde (the girl from House), and Zachary Quinto (Syler from Heroes and Spock in the recent Star Trek Movie), seemed lost and disconnected from the words they were actually saying. Talking enthusiastically about video games may not be for everyone, but is it asking too much to find a few presenters that appear to genuinely care?
Joel McHale (the guy from Talk Soup and Community) presented one award, and in my opinion, he would have been a great choice for overall host if I had a say in things. While he may or may not have known much about games, his vibe and presentation style was something that I believe would have resonated well with the demographic watching the show.
I’m not sure many big names were present, but a few crowd shots of video game “celebrities” would have been nice too. For all I know the theater could have been filled with stuffed animals, narcoleptics, and fifty Dell customer support reps named Johnny.
The digital stage concept was cool but didn’t translate as well as I thought it would/could on television. I firmly believe that a great deal of work went into creating the various game inspired backgrounds but poor camera angles and other physical stage elements interfered with our ability to enjoy them. While we’re on the topic of television — when the hell is Spike TV unleashing their HD broadcast in more areas? I live in Boston Massachusetts, not Wichita Kansas. Watching trailers in non HD doesn’t doing them justice.
The one comment I will make on the selections has more to do with the process than the actual winners. While I was happy to see Uncharted 2 win best game overall, a conversation I had with a friend prior to the show revolved around multiple console games having an unfair advantage over console exclusive. That argument holds true despite Uncharted defying the odds for best game.
When Assassin’s Creed 2 wins best action game over an action game that happens to win best game overall, something is wrong with the process. I understand the appeal of having fans vote, but another means of selection needs to be considered.
A heavy set Mike Tyson stole the show for me. The only thing that would’ve been better would be seeing him deck the half naked dude who tried to show him up by revealing his six pack to the former heavyweight champ. Mike at least seemed sincere when he asked the people he was presenting along side of who the hell they were.
Games are about interaction, and a Video Game Awards show should find ways to play up the interactive element more. Maybe including a live feed of some viewer comments on recently revealed trailer footage, or splice in some commentary along with the game preview.
As it stands now, the show just seems like a bunch of trailers taking up space on TV, attempting to be justified by plastic monkey trophies that I’m pretty sure the winners themselves give two shits about.
What did you think of this years Video Game Awards show? Do you have ideas you think could improve the show? Sound off in the comments section below.
