Every year I consider watching this thing, but I always come to the same conclusion as your wife: I have better things to do. Often times it is to play the games the show does a poor job of celebrating. I'm glad it's getting better, and I think the awards actually mean something now... it's just not presented in a way that has any appeal to me.
What does The VGAs were better this year really mean?
|
 On 12/21/2012 at 12:49 AM by Angelo Grant See More From This User » |
Yes, it's true, the awards have improved, but I'm hesitant to hand out too much praise. We still have a long way to go. I've talked about my wife before on Pixlbit, and she was pretty willing to watch the awards with me as a way to spend time together While she plays games, she doesn't identify herself as a gamer, so she had no investment in the awards themselves.
Since I decided to watch them on my 360, turning in a little early allowed me to watch some of the pre-awards show. Unfortunately, the first thing that appeared was one of the Wayans brothers discussing his and his son's pubic hair. Seriously. I got kind of a sideways look from my wife at this point, but I assured her that this wasn't how things usually go, and it was probably an isolated thing.
Of course this was quickly followed by Alison Haislip's interview with two of the voice actresses who worked on Mass Effect, which was nothing more than "edgy" blather about "sexy girl-on-girl action" in their game.
That's when my wife got up, rolled her eyes, and decided to go do something else.
I caught up with her after the show was over and asked her what it was that offended her. She gave me a kinda funny look. "Offended? No, I wasn't really offended, I just realized I had better things I could do with my time than watch something so juvenile."
Ouch.
I've been playing games for a long time, and I'm pretty used to defending what I do. This time however, I was disarmed. My wife will probably continue to play games like she does now, but when this is how we're presented in public, it assures me that she'll continue to distance herself from identifying gaming as a hobby she enjoys. Stuff like this is just putting more bricks in the wall (Sorry Rob, I know you hate Pink Floyd.)
This revelation honestly tainted the entire ceremony in hindsight. Yes, I'm aware that this was the pre-show, not the actual production, but it shined a pretty harsh light on the biggest problem I have with the whole thing. It makes us (gamers) look incredibly childish. I'm not saying we need to dress up in suits and ties and pretend this is the Academy Awards, but the presentation didn't even allow for maturity and sincerity to rear it's head at all. This year's show wasn't better in the sense that it was more mature than the past shows, it was only better in the sense that it was less immature.
I'm all for funny skits, jokes, levity, even immaturity if tempered with content that's equally respectable, appropriate, and mature. Mass Effect is much more than kinky lesbian sex. Journey is more than a walk through the desert. Dishonored is something much greater than a murder simulator. Halo is more than guns and bombs, and The Walking Dead exceeds anything you've ever thought a zombie apocalypse could be. Video games have at least begun to evolve, grow up, and mature. Why can't our awards? All of these games had moments that touched me on a deeper level, but we got an awards ceremony that Wasn't even capable of generating anything from me besides briefly snorted laughter, and somewhat guilty laughter at that.
Many of us grew up watching Mr. Rogers on TV. In 1997, he received a lifetime achievement award during the Daytime Emmys. Esquire's Tom Junod described the moment this way. It's a moment that I fear could never be possible in an awards ceremony dedicated to our favorite pastime, but I hope that someday we'll be capable of:
Mister Rogers went onstage to accept the award — and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, "All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are. Ten seconds of silence."And then he lifted his wrist, looked at the audience, looked at his watch, and said, "I'll watch the time."
There was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn't kidding, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch, but rather a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked. And so they did. One second, two seconds, three seconds — and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier. And Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said softly "May God be with you," to all his vanquished children.
Comments