Game BAFTAs worth while???

[mightyred75]

So I decided to watch the video game BAFTAs sponsored by GAME last night and in all honesty I was bored. Has this what the industry has come down to, a stuffy award ceremony showcasing commercial games. To me just highlighted everything wrong with the gaming industry. Also how on earth was GAME allowed to sponsor the event, thought they had gone into administration or has Comet finally taken them over?

[pratty]

So I decided to watch the video game BAFTAs sponsored by GAME last night and in all honesty I was bored. Has this what the industry has come down to, a stuffy award ceremony showcasing commercial games.

It depends what you mean by showcasing commercial games. If the commerically successful games dominated just because of their comercial success then that is a shame. But if the commercially successful games genuinely won their awards and nominations on gameplay merits etc then I have no problem with that.

What I do have a problem is when award shows become dominated by marketing, especially for games that aren't even out yet (eg Spike TV's VGAs). That is where games are being showcased purely becuase someone has paid for them to be, and before anyone has even played them they are given as much, if not more, exposure and acclaim than the current games being judged on their genuine merits.

I didn't see the Baftas so I probably can't comment, but Spike TV's awards are a joke, their awards mean nothing to me. The industry needs these shows more than the consumers do.

[Mootown]

GAME would have been planning the event for a long time before any of their current issues, they've been the sponsor for the last few years, I believe contracted into sponsoring a set number of years.

[Liamh1982]

Problem is that these "boring" ceremonies are needed to help get more positive coverage of gaming in the mainstream media.

And Dara O'Briain was hosting, so it can't have been all bad.

[DPrinny]

Watched it

Saged my way threw it all

[lanky316]

I think they're worth it, if the games industry don't take games seriously it's never going to be taken seriously by outsiders and the awards themselves were pretty good. Some of the awards I personally didn't agree with but that's the same with any ceremony, as a general rule of thumb I thought it was a pretty good guide (although wouldn't have put Deus Ex as a nom for best strategy...)

I thought the coverage itself was dull but again, it's an award ceremony. If we'd seen a bit more on development interspersed with the awards and a presenter I didn't want punched (why no use Dara? :'( ) maybe it'd be different but not sure what you expected!

[Treguard]

No, they're a waste of time. People might give a film a chance on the basis it's won x number of awards (I'm looking at you, The Artist), but has anyone ever bought a game because it's won a BAFTA?

[DreamcastRIP]

Is it worthwhile recognising the achievements of those working in the video games industry?
Yes.

Are the BAFTA Video Games Awards worthwhile?
Probably.

Are the BAFTA Video Games Awards above criticism?
Probably not.

Have the awards presented at any such event ever influenced me in purchasing a video game?
No, but that doesn't mean I think the awards aren't worthwhile.

[Fightersmegamix]

Total waste of time, no different to any industry awards event. I imagine it appearing on the end section of 'have I got news for you'. If they want to promote the industry fair enough, if they want respect then make games without orcs, elves, gangsters and pretending to be soldiers.

[lanky316]

Don't think an orc or elf was seen. Gangsters were a part of LA Noir but other than that not seen and the only soldier game to win was the winner of the one voted by GAME customers

[crusto]

Is it worthwhile recognising the achievements of those working in the video games industry?
Yes.

Are the BAFTA Video Games Awards worthwhile?
Probably.

Are the BAFTA Video Games Awards above criticism?
Probably not.

Have the awards presented at any such event ever influenced me in purchasing a video game?
No, but that doesn't mean I think the awards aren't worthwhile.

This.

[nakamura]

Isn't this just the publishers of the really big selling games just patting each other on the back/w$nking each other off?

To me it just seems like mainstream pushing meanstream. Would be awesome to mix in some different titles to try to stir up public interest bar the usual games.

[QuantumCrayons]

Big thing for me is the "One to Watch" category. I'm studying at the university that runs Dare to Be Digital, so perhaps I'm biased though

[DreamcastRIP]

Isn't this just the publishers of the really big selling games just patting each other on the back/w$nking each other off?

To me it just seems like mainstream pushing meanstream. Would be awesome to mix in some different titles to try to stir up public interest bar the usual games.

If that were truly the case then one would have expected the likes of CoD Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim and FIFA 12 to have cleaned up. Those commercial big hitters didn't win a single award between them.

I found it somewhat amusing that the winner of the 'Mobile & Handheld' best game category was Peggle HD for the iPad. An 'HD' rehash of a simplistic arcade puzzle game dating back to 2007 beating anything Ninty's shiny new flagship 3D dedicated handheld had to offer. Oh dear!

Perhaps even more telling was that of the six games nominated in that category five of them were iOS titles with only one being for 3DS.

[DreamcastRIP]

Nice to see among the nominated games in the 'Mobile & Handheld' category was the iOS game, Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint.

Listed as the game's developer/publisher: John Pickford & Ste Pickford / Pickford Bros/Zee-3 Limited.