And The Winner Is…
LGF explains its decision to host two awards ceremonies in one week
While London-based games industry events have something of a chequered history, last year's London Games Festival discarded the traditional notion of what a games event should be, and aimed for something rather different - a celebration of games and games culture in a variety of guises across the capital.
At the same time the British Academy of Film and Television Awards inaugurated its third arm, videogames, with a glitzy and very mainstream bash at the Camden Roundhouse.
Meanwhile, Future Publishing's long-time industry awards ceremony The Golden Joysticks, also took place at around the same time, leading to something of a crowded diary for those few days.
But yesterday the LGF organisers announced that The Golden Joysticks would be ushered under its umbrella, giving the Festival two official sets of awards taking place within three days - a move which some worried might cause confusion with the public.
GamesIndustry.biz spoke to LGF spokesperson Duncan Best to find out the motivation behind the decision, and why the two can sit happily side-by-side.
GamesIndustry.biz: London Games Festival has just announced that there will be two awards ceremonies under the event umbrella this year, which might strike some people as a little unusual. What's the reasoning behind the timing?
There are numerous reasons behind the timings of the events. The Festival falls in the half-term calendar slot, a slot which the Golden Joysticks has occupied for some time and with good reason! Most games have been finished and itâs time to start selling them. The LGF and the BAFTAs sit here for the same reason and it's the same reason events are queuing up to get into the Festival. It's great news for the Festival as the Golden Joysticks and the BAFTAs will both help focus the consumer's attention on the exceptional work the games industry does.
What would you say are the differences between the two events?To start with one is from an established brand among video games consumers whilst the other is an established brand which has its roots outside the games industry. The important difference is that one is voted for by the public whilst the other is decided by the industry.
Do you think that the two awards will produce different winners?Inevitably, as with all award ceremonies, the process by which winners are decided is a subjective one. In this case we have the popular vote and the peer vote.
Peers are often deft at picking out the subtleties of individual creative achievement whereas consumers' votes focus around pure entertainment. There will be some that differ and some that don't; in the past outstanding titles have done well in both.
If the winners are different, is there a danger that people might find that confusing?I think that you are underestimating the public's grasp of popular culture. Awards ceremonies have been kicking around for years and in a lot of cases in close proximity to one another. The BAFTAs, Oscars, Empire, MTV awards - I'm even working on ITV's new movie awards next month - unsurprisingly consumers have a huge appetite for award bashes.
Given that both events are public-facing, albeit with different voting mechanisms, and that BAFTA has such a high mainstream profile, is there a concern that the Golden Joysticks might be overshadowed?Both ceremonies are mainstream. We have entered a culture where a TV broadcast is no longer the measure of popularity in this arena. The Golden Joystick awards are able to involve consumers in a way BAFTA cannot. As the recognised cultural significance of games increases I suspect more ceremonies will start and I would say, as with film and TV, most will find a market.
The BAFTAs gave videogames its own awards last year for the first time, the event was broadcast on terrestrial television, and featured strongly in the national press. At a time when more casual gamers are coming into the industry how important is the brand?The BAFTA brand has huge UK and international public recognition. Importantly, it is a brand which reaches outside the existing games market. My gran could look at a BAFTA-winning game and know what that means. A Golden Joystick has a long heritage and is hugely significant for existing gamers and the industry.
Last year was LGF's first, how excited are you about this year's event?Very! People will start to see why as announcements are made in the coming weeks. The Festival will cover everything to do with the games industry, from education to careers and new technology to the most commercial of game launches. The changes in structure made this year will allow it to grow and grow.
How important is the variety of events and locations?The Festival is all about informing people and demonstrating the cultural breadth of interactive entertainment. Locations are an excellent way to engage people who donât normally play. As the Festival grows, I hope that more and more publishers will see the benefits of taking over large London spaces for events.
Would you be happy to see the two awards ceremonies both part of LGF again next year?Taking into account the goals of the festival, of course.
Duncan Best is a spokesperson for the London Games Festival. Interview by Phil Elliott.