kicker
Banned
I think these are the 4 most recognized awards ceremonies in the industry, right?
Yes, yes, game awards are popularity ceremonies and exist for industry self-validation since the categories don't reflect gameplay enough and tend to homogenize some unique categories while delivering them as side notes.
Regardless, they're used in some manner to recognize excellent games. Maybe not the *most* excellent games in a given year by my (nor your) taste, but excellent games nonetheless.
I would say it is the most prestigious accolade an independent developer can put on their marketing poster or trailer (I believe AAA devs and publishers don't really care)
Let's look at the results from the past 16 years.
It seems like the specific winners themselves completely depend on the jury selected and a separate combination in any given year would probably give slightly different results.
Any thoughts? Is there hope for a future games award event that is more open and representative of the best games in proper categories a given year? Or is entertainment appraisal completely subjective making awards events like these pointless?
Yes, yes, game awards are popularity ceremonies and exist for industry self-validation since the categories don't reflect gameplay enough and tend to homogenize some unique categories while delivering them as side notes.
Regardless, they're used in some manner to recognize excellent games. Maybe not the *most* excellent games in a given year by my (nor your) taste, but excellent games nonetheless.
I would say it is the most prestigious accolade an independent developer can put on their marketing poster or trailer (I believe AAA devs and publishers don't really care)
Let's look at the results from the past 16 years.
| Year | D.I.C.E | TGA (spike vga pre-2014) | BAFTA | Golden Joystick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | COD 4: Modern Warfare | Bioshock | Bioshock | Gears of War (released 2006) |
| 2008 | LittleBigPlanet | GTA IV | Super Mario Galaxy | COD 4: Modern Warfare (released 2007) |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2 | Uncharted 2 | Batman Arkham Asylum | Fallout 3 (released 2008) |
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2 | Red Dead Redemption | Mass Effect 2 | Mass Effect 2 |
| 2011 | TESV: Skyrim | TESV: Skyrim | Portal 2 | Portal 2 |
| 2012 | Journey | The Walking Dead | Dishonored | TESV: Skyrim (released 2011) |
| 2013 | The Last of Us | GTA V | The Last of Us | GTA V |
| 2014 | Dragon Age: Inquisition | Dragon Age: Inquisition | Destiny | Dark Souls II |
| 2015 | Fallout 4 | The Witcher 3 | Fallout 4 | The Witcher 3 |
| 2016 | Overwatch | Overwatch | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | Dark Souls III |
| 2017 | BOTW | BOTW | What Remains of Edith Finch | BOTW |
| 2018 | God of War 18 | God of War 18 | God of War 18 | Fortnite Battle Royale |
| 2019 | Untitled Goose Game | Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Outer Wilds | Resident Evil 2 Remake |
| 2020 | Hades | The Last of Us Part II | Hades | The Last of Us Part II |
| 2021 | It Takes Two | It Takes Two | Returnal | Resident Evil Village |
| 2022 | Elden Ring | Elden Ring | Vampire Survivors | Elden Ring |
D.I.C.E
- First hosted in 1998.
- Awards ceremony holds in February
The nominees in each category are selected by a peer panel, assembled by AIAS, of over 100 video game professionals across several facets of the industry, including developers, programmers, artists, and publishers, which is published on the AIAS website each year. The nominees are then voted on by the full membership of AIAS (over 33,000 members) via a confidential and secured voting system, and winners are subsequently announced during the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, typically the February of that year
- First hosted in 1998.
- Awards ceremony holds in February
The nominees in each category are selected by a peer panel, assembled by AIAS, of over 100 video game professionals across several facets of the industry, including developers, programmers, artists, and publishers, which is published on the AIAS website each year. The nominees are then voted on by the full membership of AIAS (over 33,000 members) via a confidential and secured voting system, and winners are subsequently announced during the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, typically the February of that year
TGA
- First hosted in 2014 (Spike VGA first hosted in 2003).
- Awards ceremony holds in December.
The Game Awards has an advisory committee which includes representatives from hardware manufacturers Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and AMD, along with several game publishers. This committee selects around thirty influential video game news organizations that are able to nominate and subsequently vote on the video games in several categories. The advisory committee otherwise does not participate in the nomination or voting process. During the nomination round, each of the news outlets provides a list of games in several categories. The committee compiles the nominations and selects the most-nominated games for voting by these same outlets. Prior to 2017, there were 28 industry experts and representatives that selected the winners, while the awards from 2017 onwards have used over 50 such experts. In 2019, non-English media publications were added to the jury. Winners are determined by a blended vote between the voting jury (90%) and public fan voting (10%) via social platforms and the show's website.
- First hosted in 2014 (Spike VGA first hosted in 2003).
- Awards ceremony holds in December.
The Game Awards has an advisory committee which includes representatives from hardware manufacturers Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and AMD, along with several game publishers. This committee selects around thirty influential video game news organizations that are able to nominate and subsequently vote on the video games in several categories. The advisory committee otherwise does not participate in the nomination or voting process. During the nomination round, each of the news outlets provides a list of games in several categories. The committee compiles the nominations and selects the most-nominated games for voting by these same outlets. Prior to 2017, there were 28 industry experts and representatives that selected the winners, while the awards from 2017 onwards have used over 50 such experts. In 2019, non-English media publications were added to the jury. Winners are determined by a blended vote between the voting jury (90%) and public fan voting (10%) via social platforms and the show's website.
BAFTA
- First hosted in 2004.
- Awards ceremony holds in March/April.
BAFTA outlines the eligibility and entry process for the British Academy Games Awards. Games released in 2014 will be eligible for the 2015 awards, and entries can be made via the BAFTA entry website. The judging process consists of two stages, with games initially voted on by the Games-voting BAFTA members and then judged by a jury of industry practitioners chaired by a member of the BAFTA Games Committee. BAFTA aims for each jury to be balanced in age and experience, and jurors with a direct association with a short-listed game will not be permitted to sit on the jury. The jury selects nominations and a winner by secret ballot. Games originally released prior to the eligibility period may be entered if they have received a significant update or alteration
- First hosted in 2004.
- Awards ceremony holds in March/April.
BAFTA outlines the eligibility and entry process for the British Academy Games Awards. Games released in 2014 will be eligible for the 2015 awards, and entries can be made via the BAFTA entry website. The judging process consists of two stages, with games initially voted on by the Games-voting BAFTA members and then judged by a jury of industry practitioners chaired by a member of the BAFTA Games Committee. BAFTA aims for each jury to be balanced in age and experience, and jurors with a direct association with a short-listed game will not be permitted to sit on the jury. The jury selects nominations and a winner by secret ballot. Games originally released prior to the eligibility period may be entered if they have received a significant update or alteration
Golden Joystick
- First hosted in 1983.
- Awards ceremony holds in October/November.
The voting process for the Golden Joystick Awards is open to the public and takes place online. Fans and gamers from around the world are invited to cast their votes for their favorite games across various categories, including Game of the Year, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game, and more. The voting period typically lasts for 5 days.
Once the voting period is over, the results are collated, and the games with the most votes in each category are announced as winners.
- First hosted in 1983.
- Awards ceremony holds in October/November.
The voting process for the Golden Joystick Awards is open to the public and takes place online. Fans and gamers from around the world are invited to cast their votes for their favorite games across various categories, including Game of the Year, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game, and more. The voting period typically lasts for 5 days.
Once the voting period is over, the results are collated, and the games with the most votes in each category are announced as winners.
It seems like the specific winners themselves completely depend on the jury selected and a separate combination in any given year would probably give slightly different results.
Any thoughts? Is there hope for a future games award event that is more open and representative of the best games in proper categories a given year? Or is entertainment appraisal completely subjective making awards events like these pointless?
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