Did you miss the “video game Oscars” last night? The Spike Video Game Awards (VGA) celebrated it’s 10th anniversary and was hosted by Samuel L.Jackson (his 4th time). The show featured appearances by Jessica Alba, Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory), Linkin Park, Tenacious D, Gustavo Santaolalla (composer of main The Last of Us theme) and Wolfgang Gartner (Grammy-nominated DJ).
The most prestigious award, GOTY (Game of the Year), went to the downloadable title The Walking Dead: The Game.
Here’s the full list of winners:
Game of the Year
The Walking Dead: The Game
Studio of the Year
Telltale Games, The Walking Dead: The Game
Character of the Year
Clap Trap, Borderlands 2
Entertainment Weekly and Spike VGA Best Game of the Decade
Half-Life 2
Best PS3 Game
Journey
Best Shooter
Borderlands 2
Best Action Adventure Game
Dishonored
Best Multi-player Game
Borderlands 2
Best Individual Sports Game
SSX
Best Driving Game
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Best Song in a Game
“Cities” by Beck, Sound Shapes
Best Original Score
Journey
Best Graphics
Halo 4
Best Independent Game
Journey
Best Fighting Game
Persona 4 Arena
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
Sound Shapes
Best Performance by a Human Female
Melissa Hutchinson as Clementine, The Walking Dead: The Game
Best Performance by a Human Male
Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack, Borderlands 2
Best Adapted Video Game
The Walking Dead: The Game
Best DLC
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard
Best Downloadable Game
The Walking Dead: The Game
Best Social Game
You Don’t Know Jack
Most Anticipated Game
Grand Theft Auto V
Feels to me like they awarded a lot of games that would typically lose to a more popular game also nominated. Now, I’m not complaining because my best gaming experiences this year came from Borderlands 2, Dishonored, Journey and The Walking Dead. I just find it … sort of weird that they consequently awarded what I would think was seen upon as the lesser game (by the press, fans, jury, I don’t know) compared to the others. And since this happened a lot it feels very deliberate, like they are making a point going against the stream. Again, I don’t mind, those are the games I rooted for.
Might have been because of Journey getting that Grammy nomination and artsy/indie games getting more recognition. On the other hand… It’s strange that the top-sellers this year didn’t win anything, like Black Ops 2, it used to be a safe bet!