Voting opens for GJAs, proceed with caution
by Alan Rose 
{ Aug 3rd 2006 at 4:05PM }
Computer & Video Games has announced the ballot boxes are now open for the 24th annual Golden Joystick (not "Joystiq") Awards, one of the longest running events in the industry. While CVG promotes the Golden Joysticks as the "people's awards", you have to wonder if they use the same selection committee as Spike TV when determining the nominees for each category. One disgruntled Joystiq reader is appalled that 50 Cent: Bulletproof somehow managed to collect five nominations (we feel your pain, Sizer), despite the game's metascores being true to its namesake. This smacks of commercialism, but then again it gives the GJAs that gritty, urban flava that you know just personifies all gamers.
Another questionable nomination is Shadow the Hedgehog for The Sun's Family Game of the Year. Isn't that the one with the gun-toting, foul-mouthed, "edgy" Sonic wannabe (and a combined metascore of 49)? On behalf of the kiddies, I'll pass.
How about the decision to limit the Nuts All-Nighter award to console and handheld games? Does this mean MMOs and other PC games are only addictive outside the UK? That's just nutty! Wait, where's the award for best gaming blog? Oh, never mind.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
cringer8 @ Aug 3rd 2006 4:20PM
ALL awards shows are useless.
Einhanderkiller @ Aug 3rd 2006 4:21PM
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6155115.html
Looks like VU Games paid ComputerAndVideoGames a lot of money to get 50 Cent: Bulletproof nominated for FIVE different categories.
Christian aka nsomneia @ Aug 3rd 2006 4:30PM
Nominations for Girls Choice Award:
50 Cent: Bulletproof
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Evil Dead Regeneration
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Special Edition
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend
Mario Kart DS
Nintendogs
Super Princess Peach
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
!?ftw are you serious 50 cent bulletproof.. . why the hell is this game nominated for anything much less girls choice award, this just screams of a rigged 'choice' award .. .
PayTheMan @ Aug 3rd 2006 4:35PM
Again the girl gamer demographic is alienated with their very own 'GIRL'S CHOICE AWARD'. When are people going to realize that females don't need their own set of games-- they play the same ones that males do (albeit they gravitate towards puzzlers).
Drawing a line between male and female games is quite counterproductive to expanding the female gamer market.
Lucas @ Aug 3rd 2006 4:36PM
http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/2006/06/vote-for-50-cent-bulletproof.html
That is the reason 50 Cent and Shadow got nominated.
brownc4 @ Aug 3rd 2006 4:55PM
Uhm, COD2 and GRAW were both available on the PC, stil think your jipped on the lack of MMO's
Josh Sims @ Aug 3rd 2006 4:59PM
Ummm... if the name of the Show is the Golden Joystick Awards.. why is it called the GSA's? Why isn't the GJA's?
--
You're right, thanks for the typo spot! Alan
Catalyst @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:06PM
When I think best online game of the year, I think of the online powerhouse that is Rockstar Table Tennis.
Andy S. @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:11PM
PayTheMan and Christian are both right:
Females play the same games that males do
- and -
Girls don't play 50 Cent: Bulletproof
- therefore -
Nobody plays 50 Cent: Bulletproof.
Well, whaddaya know? The Metascores support the theorem. Isn't logic awesome?
Dizzy the Egg @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:15PM
sorry to all your whiners but this 50 cent thing is partly due to a joke from UK Resistance.
http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/2006/06/vote-for-50-cent-bulletproof.html
Comradetrotskii @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:16PM
Girls have their own category! Where is the Gaymer choice award, and would 50 cent be nominated for that also.
Imagine how ridiculous a specific music award for bands that girls like would be (please don't tell me one exists).
crono141 @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:18PM
Yeah, certainly not "World of Warcraft" or "Guildwars"
N3k74r @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:21PM
More than half the games in the 'Ultimate Game of 2006' category weren't even released in 2006.
KilgoreTrout XL @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:23PM
Poking holes in this would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
But what the hell.
1. A "One to watch in 2007" award? Are you kidding? /Real/ surprised to see Wii and PS3 up there.
2. There's no differentiation between Xbox and Xbox 360. There ought to be.
3. Not a single mention of the Xbox Live Arcade, nor an arcade game, nor mention of the acheivement system, when surely any one of those those could and should have recieved a 'nod' for innovation.
4. Inexplicably, while they have one category for two systems (Xbox), they have individual categories for Publisher and Retailer. Come on- all we really give a sh*t about is the developers.
5. Oblivion *isn't* in the fabulously-titled "nuts all-nighter" award.
ad infinitum & ad nauseam.
Man, I could have simply quoted cringer8.
N3k74r @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:26PM
More than half the games in the 'Ultimate Game of 2006' category
weren't even released in 2006.
Ostap @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:29PM
As a penis-carrying member of the gamer community, I should not be allowed to vote for a girls choice award? What kind of "girls choice" is it if anyone with an email address can vote for it.
And yeah, its a pay to play awards. If the developer does not pay, they cannot be nominated. So 50 cent probably pawned some of his gangsta gold to get the nominations.
Joel @ Aug 3rd 2006 5:45PM
The dates were way off (PS3, Wii, Twilight Princess, FF XII in 2007!)
And I closed out of the page when I found that Kingdom Hearts 2 wasn't up for PS2 game of the year.
Dave @ Aug 3rd 2006 6:13PM
One to Watch 2007? They're giving an award out for something that's not even out yet!? Wow...how...stupid.
dotun.o @ Aug 3rd 2006 6:33PM
Did anyone else notice that the nomionation page lists Playstation GOTY, Xbox GOTY, then Nintendo (gah! not GCN???) GOTY?! Me sees another farce in the making.
1up_clock @ Aug 3rd 2006 6:38PM
"And I closed out of the page when I found that Kingdom Hearts 2 wasn't up for PS2 game of the year."
It ain't nominated?
Thank God.
Pac Man @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:21PM
I think what you people don't understand is that you had to vote for those games to be in the final list of games to vote for... I think I've just confused myself. But anyway, the thing is that people voted for 50 Cent: Bulletproof to be in the final list, God knows why, but they did. I guess stupid people just voted for stupid games, and now the same stupid people can vote for the same stupid games again. Ah well, I dont care anyway.
darko82 @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:56PM
You sure about that, Pac Man? Given Shadow's crappy scores and sales figures, I wouldn't think there would be enough customers to vote for it as a nominee.
Prince of Persia: Two Thrones did much better, critically and financially, and I don't see that in any best game category (only best character). You would think there would be more people to vote that into best game consideration.
Pac Man @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:56PM
Pehaps you're right darko82, maybe they rigged it, but all I know is that it was supposed to be a proper voting thingy, I know I voted for stuff, but as I say: "Ah well, I dont care anyway."
cringer8 @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:01PM
Wouldn't it appear that someone simply hacked a bunch of votes for their game into the system?
It's not too hard to setup a program on your PC to do that (that's why Ticketmaster and many other sites have that Step in the process where you type the word that appears in the box).
For that game to be in so many categories...it stinks of "voter fraud."
cringer8 @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:02PM
Maybe if more "gamers" were aware of the voting taking place, this list would look a bit different.