Spike VGX: Should The Awards Take Place In January?

So Spike ‘VGX‘ formerly known as the ‘Spike ‘VGA’s’, along with it’s new name may want to consider a new Month as well.

The VGA’s on Spike, which as I mentioned until this year was  called, from it’s inception to now has pretty much always aired early December. I get it, most studios shut down in November so Spike probably feels doing it in December is appropriate but I’m not so sure about that.

In the past, Spike’s award shows had been greeted with controversy  because although technically no games release in December some games would release in late November. And I remember  there being an uproar in the gaming community over whether or not games that came out a week or two before the show should be eligible for ‘Game of the Year’, or any other category for that matter. Especially when fan votes use to count (As the official site indicates fan votes no longer count for main categories toward the new format).

Actually I remember specifically one year one of the Assassin’s Creed’s (I forget which) being the topic of that very discussion;  how it released very late into the year, some gamers didn’t even complete — or start the game to have an opinion (I believe it even took home an award). Such was the case that gamers felt it shouldn’t even be eligible for any category let alone win in a category.

Now, reasons why Spike may want to consider moving future VGX’s to January? Possibly for the purposes of letting each game, no matter how late in the year it’s released to  have the proper time spent with it so voters could give their true opinion of it. First of all, it can be viewed by the gaming community   — when it applies, that the voter should have finished it, of course sports and other games can have the exception. Second of  all, voters — who play the games in question, will  never have to rush or feel rushed. Remember they’re deemed with the task of  giving away the most coveted prize this business can achieve.

But you may say “No it’s fine the way it is now; December is fine, it’s only voted on by council anyway, who by the way  get the games way early”. But some others may say, au contraire mon frére  there is a little thing called “no room for error” . If a company is late shipping said game to the council early then what? What if there are ten councilmen and 7 got theirs on time and 3 didn’t? What if the game itself gets push back? What if a game goes outside of the average 9-12 hrs to complete? Take a game like Skyrim, which probably takes an absurd amount of time to complete, what if it was released very late November? Do the voters really have time to assess whether this game is ‘GOTY’ material or even worthy of A  single category?

What if a game…..I don’t know….uh…. wants to make history and releases in December 😉 and let’s say said game for argument sake is the “best” game of the year…then what? Should this even be in a developers thought process? That they have to release a game in November to be  eligible for an award? Why not just let the developers develop for the whole entire year, they’re probably going to shut it down before Christmas anyway and Spike can have the awards in late January, that way there is no rushing and the voters can be clear headed — heading into the New Year. I’m pretty sure gamers don’t want to feel cheated.

Remember again too the award show is a voting format, which most likely means arguing sessions — which you have to leave time for and much like a jury trying to decide a verdict it could take an hour or it could take weeks.

Same could be said about next gen launches and games that are exclusive to that platform. If there are technical issues that need to be sorted out via a patch or otherwise it could very well pass the date of the awards show.

And like the old cliché goes “Better to be safe than sorry” right?

Do you feel Spike VGX should take place in January? CCU wants to hear from you.