SpikeTV: Biased Cowards of the VGA’s

This has been irking me ever since I read-up on it and felt I needed to share with the community my views on things.  Some of you may know that every year in early to mid December SpikeTV airs the VGA’s (Video Game Awards).  This year’s 2009 showing will be their 7th year running.  I applaud SpikeTV for being one of the first networks to air gaming content and to host these award shows; it speaks to the growth of the industry and helps for non-gamers to acknowledge that gaming isn’t just some fad or geeky phenomenon but has in fact gone mainstream.

What irks me about SpikeTV and their VGA’s is the biasness among their panel of judges.  For those of you who either missed last year’s outcome or simply don’t remember, there was a sizable hullabaloo about ’08′s GotY.  Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto 4″ won out over Konami’s “Metal Gear Solid 4″.  Much criticism arose from that decision and many were convinced that the only reasons GTA4 beat out MGS4 were:

1. GTA4′s Higher Sales – Due to the fact GTA4 is a popular multiplatform title, it easily outsold the masterpiece of the PS3 – exclusive that was MGS4.  It can be assumed that the higher a game’s sales are, the better that game is.  This, however, is false.  No doubt GTA4 was a good game with plenty of replay value but it could not meet the standards for quality set by Kojima’s latest creation.  Sales do not equal quality, only popularity.  If Spike had labeled their GotY Award, “Most Popular Game of  ’08″ or “Highest Selling Game of  ’08″ I’d be fine with their decision, but to say GTA4 is better than MGS4 simply isn’t true.  Most gaming publications and internet sources even admitted that MGS4 was the superior game that year.
2. Anti-Sony Biasness – Upon the PS3′s launch there was much biasness against this system by consumers, mainly due to it’s high price point.  This biasness seemed to spread and infect everyone, from consumers to retailers to developers to publishers, and even respected media outlets.  It seemed Sony could do no right no matter what they tried while Microsoft’s 360 was evangelized despite it’s unreliable hardware.  Unfortunately some believe this biasness caused a multiplatform game to win-out over a PS3 – exclusive.  People just can’t admit that Sony is offering the superior entertainment experience and refuse to allow them any such accolades.

Now comes the ’09 Awards Show.  Sony biasness continues to fall but still maintains a strong presence.  Last year SpikeTV had an easier out since reviews of GTA4 and MGS4 were somewhat close to begin with.  This year, Naughty Dog’s “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” has a total of 24 perfect scores from multiple sources and by many has already been touted as 2009′s GotY.  It seems the show should only be a formality until a Sony exclusive is finally given it’s due.  But SpikeTV just can’t let that happen.  It appears they despise Sony so much that they will do anything to keep a PS3 – exclusive from winning fairly.  This year SpikeTV will allow viewers to vote for each category’s winner, including GotY.  So again for ’09 the GotY winner won’t necessarily be the highest quality game but instead the most popular.  As MW2 is a popular multiplatform title, and would thus garner more sales and votes, it seems to be in the lead for this year’s top award.  SpikeTV should’ve just awarded U2 with the award instead of pulling this cowardly crap.  U2 still has a chance to win depending on votes but regardless of who wins Spike is free from criticism towards it’s winner.  Boo!

You can still vote by clicking here.

Advertisement