Tonight is the night of the annual Game Awards, where the best of this year's video games go up against each other to see which one was the absolute best. The nominations and votes by fans and critics will see awards given in various categories. But the 2021 awards show isn't what we're here to talk about, at least not quite yet. While we wait for the festivities to begin, it's time to look back at what pre-dated The Game Awards, which have been running since 2014, and instead remember the Spike Video Game Awards.

Beginning in 2003, the Spike Video Game Awards were similar in a lot of ways to the modern-day version, but there are plenty of oddities and funny things to see. The first Game of the Year award was given to Madden NFL 2004, taking the win against games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, while there was an entire category dedicated to the best video game adaptation of a movie. Even weirder, the award of best voice acting performance was instead called Best Performance by a Human.

The following year, a new category was introduced: Cyber Vixen of the Year--it was gone by the year after. In 2006, James Gandolfini won best performance for The Sopranos: Road to Respect, against fellow nominee Seth Green, for playing Chris Griffin in Family Guy Video Game. At one point, Fallout 3 was nominated for best graphics at the time. In a bizarre goofy moment, Best Dressed Assassin was its own category, with no nominations, only the winner of Ezio Auditore.

Continuing on, the Best Game of the Decade was not awarded at the end of the decade, or even the year after--in fact, it took until the end of 2012 for Spike to choose the best game of 2000-2010. In the last Spike Game Awards, Best 360 and PS3 game were their own separate categories, but the nominees were multiplatform games and were the same between the two.

If you're interested in having a good laugh and looking back, you can see them here.

 

[relauby]

I can't wait to vote for the best game of 2010-2019 next December

 

[raxadian]

Back when gaming magazines were still a thing they had lists of top games and so on and those were more reliable, save for the Nintendo magazines, about who was the best game and that.

These gaming awards are more rigged that the awards Nickelodeon gives itself.

 

[Vila_]

Game Company: "hey we want an award to boost game sales"
spike: "I got you"

"BEST GAME THAT IS GOING TO SELL WELL AFTER THIS AWARD AWARD"

 

[RichardTheKing]

That sounds sooo much better than the current Game Awards, which have like 80% "press" site votes and 20% actual fans votes, or something ridiculous like that.

And I don't really have any strong - or even weak - opinions on this year's lineup, either. Couldn't care less this year, due to how nothing major was released. Well, Persona 5 Scramble and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles were released in English, and they were quite fun, but still nothing mindblowing.

 

[KingVamp]

I know this about the VGA, but I can't help remember the backlash of TLOU2, only for it to win anyway.

 

[RichardTheKing]

I know this about the VGA, but I can't help remember the backlash of TLOU2, only for it to win anyway.

And the backlash because it won so many categories, when there were far better games nominated - like Ghost of Tsushima, for instance.
Notice how TLoU2 did not win "Player Choice"; that says something.

 

[Emperor_Norton]

2003 Spike Video Game Awards - Best Animation:
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

Ah, yes, 'animation'.

These are genuinely good for a laugh, I'll give them that.

 

[Xzi]

Pretty bad year for AAA gaming. My GOTY would have to be either Metroid Dread or Tales of Arise. Tons of good releases coming early 2022, but Elden Ring still deserves most anticipated.

 

[Noctosphere]

Is that the event where rumors said we should hear more about botw2?

 

[Xzi]

Is that the event where rumors said we should hear more about botw2?

Nah the Spike VGAs no longer exist. I'm not even sure the channel still exists. Just reminds me of and makes me miss G4TV during its prime.

 

[Kwyjor]

I'm not even sure the channel still exists.

It was a very silly channel in general. So much cringe! It is better forgotten. (Remember how they got in a tussle with Spike Lee about the name?)

If people are still talking about this "awards show" ten years after the fact then it is indisputably a lot more successful than a lot of other "award shows".