Vidya Gaem Awards

The Vidya Gaem Awards, also known as the /v/GAs, is an online-based award show for video games. Originating in 2011 as a response to the Spike Video Game Awards, the nominations and voting process are entirely fan-voted and showcase positive and negative award categories. The presentation also features skits and other forms of entertainment that reflects the culture of /v/. The first event was published through YouTube on February 11, 2012, and they have continued every year since.

History
The Vidya Gaem Awards were founded in late-2011 by an internet user named Nighthood, as a response to the negative reception of the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, which was seen a relic of a stale and overly commercialized gaming industry awards system.

The first Vidya Gaem Awards took place on February 9, 2012, and saw a mixed response, with praise for the visual effort and voice acting, but criticism for its voting system and perceived influence from Reddit.

Despite the mixed reception, the /v/GAs continued in 2012, adopting a preferential voting system, removing the need for a Steam account to nominate or vote, and introduced time-sensitive voting codes to discourage outside influence. The show's production was also expanded, with an increase in the cast and crew leading to a variety of new categories in the presentation.

The 2013 Vidya Gaem Awards experienced initial difficulties after the previous producer retired. However, new leadership was formed from much of 2012's crew, and they developed a minimalist presentation style. Notably, the 2013 Vidya Gaem Awards coincided with the final Spike Video Game Awards presentation, known as the "VGX". Voting for the 2013 /v/GAs took place in January 2014, but the show was delayed due to production issues, including the lack of a unified visual template. However, a solution was found just in time, and the 2013 Vidya Gaem Awards were successfully streamed on Twitch on March 14, 2014. The show was a redemption for the /v/GAs in the eyes of many, despite controversies leading up to the event.

Uniquely, the 2013 /v/GAs recognized games such as Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance well ahead of its mainstream popularity in the late-2010s. It also awarded Monster Girl Quest: Chapter 3, an adult video game, awards such as Best Writing, Best Sequel, and Biggest Emotional Impact. The unorthodox wins marked the Awards' dedication to acknowledging all types of games, irrespective of their mainstream appeal or lack thereof. This demonstrated the /v/GAs' commitment to being a truly user-focused, community-driven awards show.

In 2014, the organizers behind the Vidya Gaem Awards were interviewed by Niche Gamer about the award show, and provided some context about the event.

In 2015, the Vidya Gaem Awards began an "Outreach" process, which notified developers of their game nominations simultaneously with the public. The first developers to acknowledge their nominations were Destructive Creations, Atlus USA, and Toby Fox. The developers are thanked in the 2015 credits.

In 2016, the production of the Vidya Gaem Awards shifted from using Steam Groups and bulk emails to Discord for enhanced efficiency, despite some pushback from members.

For their 2017 show, the Vidya Gaem Awards implemented a new voting system, making it easier for mobile users to participate and introducing a gamified voting process via lootboxes and mock advertisements. After the 2017 presentation, there was a management change.

The 2018 visual presentation was the longest to date, at 2 hours and 18 minutes. It had a theme which combined eSports and a staged takeover by Tencent Holdings. The event gained coverage on Chinese message boards like Bilibili, and the takeover theme resulted in a temporary suspension from Twitch.

In 2019, the Awards aired with a "mecha" theme inspired by Evangelion, Dangaioh, and Patlabor.

Reception
The Vidya Gaem Awards have been featured in Niche Gamer, Kotaku, Cinema Blend, and N4G. Companies and individuals featured in the show have also shared their thoughts on their nominations or awards; such as Running With Scissors, Supergiant Games, Geoff Keighley (producer of the Spike Video Game Awards), Sukeban Games, and Markus Persson (creator of Minecraft).

Sometimes, the show has featured special guests. Lucas Pope, creator of Papers, Please, provided a skit for the 2013 award ceremony. Speedrunner and investigative journalist Karl Jobst voiced the 2020 "Hello, Fellow Posters" Award, and DreadAnon provided a voice cameo in the 2022 "Best Representation of Men" nominee footage for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

Preshow
Since 2012, and in every year since, the Vidya Gaem Awards have featured a preshow from the community that features video game music mixes. Some of the mashup artists have included Stuff3, fv.exe, nostalgia junkie, beat_shobon, Jab50Yen, and W.T. Snacks.

Show Listing
Here is a listing of all ceremonies of the Vidya Gaem Awards.