G-Phoria. Spike Video Game Awards. Both are now synonymous with not only video game award shows, but the video game industry as a whole.

It’s a damn shame.

Are these really the entities we want the mainstream to so completely associate with our industry, with our level of media and journalistic standards? Spike TV isn’t even a video game channel, nor did the industry birth it. It’s television for men. G4 at least was once a video game channel, until it bastardized itself for better ratings and, according to their most current mission statement, became “TV That’s Plugged In”, as opposed to “Television for Gamers” and the like. This bastardization, or MTVization as I and Editor-in-Chief David Gornoski prefer to call it, was something I saw coming long before G4 admitted to it. Hey, it may be entertaining, but I think longtime fans of TechTV consider it more like simply “selling out”.

Both of these award shows cite glitz and glamor above the actual games. Stupidity as well, in my opinion. The shows don’t take themselves seriously as a result of their play to immature men around the country. And don’t get me wrong, some of this pandering is necessary to reach and connect with the mainstream – as I said in my last editorial, I’m not against targeting the mainstream. Heck, the Oscars ended up doing the same thing to boost ratings, by including fun skits at the beginning of their broadcasts… ironically, sort of imitating MTV’s award shows. The Oscars however preserved their integrity. The two are not mutually exclusive, but don’t tell Spike TV/G4 that.

Spike TV is the awards show in 2005 that nominated 50 Cent: Bulletproof for Game of the Year. Game over for that show, right there. G-Phoria on the other hand has apparently made improvements – instead of being in the hands of B-list celebs like Hal Sparks, since 2006 the show has been helmed by X-Play’s Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb. Still, despite remaining too silly for a serious awards show, there’s a much greater underlying problem with the show we’re supposed to be in a state of euphoria about. It’s purely viewer’s choice, what G4 calls on its website “Democracy in action”.

Listen, I’m all for “power to the people” and such generally, but in this case I really couldn’t care what the “people” think. I’m all for a mainstream, televised show, but I don’t want people who don’t know what they’re talking about (and 13 year olds in general) voting for their favorite game. I don’t want 50 Cent’s game getting nominated again (if there was ever – gasp! – a sequel) just because he’s 50 Cent and he’s cool cause he got shot nine times. It’s funny that G-Phoria cites “democracy” and gives the voting power directly to the people, when in America we aren’t a true democracy at all, but a representative democracy, a constitutional republic, where we vote in people smarter or more informed (presumably) than us to make decisions on our behalf. This is what we need – industry insiders and entrenched, experienced journalists voting on each year’s games, not G4 TV’s current crop of puerile viewers who watch “Wired for Sex”. Oh, and “Cinematech: Nocturnal Emissions”. G4 describes that show as “Cut scenes and cinemas from games that know how to push the right buttons”. Yessir, I want that classy, educated bunch voting and representing our industry!

I don’t mind seeing a fun awards show, but give us something with class and something that puts those in the know ahead of those with, well, stupid opinions. Something more like the Academy Awards or the Grammys, and a lot less like the MTV Movie Awards. Otherwise, our industry will never be taken seriously.

It’s time for a change.