This year marks the 27th Golden Joystick Awards which will be held in London, England on 30 October 2009. For the maths-challenged that means the first GJAs was held way back in 1982.
This year, we're asking all our readers to vote, but we're aware that this being a 'global' website and the awards being a UK-based event, many of our readers might be thinking, 'WTF is this Golden Joystick thing, then?'
So to put you in the picture and give you some sense of history of the illustrious awards, here's 12 hot facts. Read it and you'll know more than the people that organise the thing... And don't forget to vote!
1. Jetpac won the first GJA Game of the Year award in 1982
Back in the day, games like this won awards
Ultimate's Jetpac has the accolade of winning the first Game of the Year, which appeared on grandad game machines ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro and the Vic-20. If you want to see why it won, you can play the original on XBLA as part of Jetpac Reloaded.
Other Game of the Years in the GJA's history have included bonafide classics like: Knight Lore (1984), Gauntlet (1986), Outrun (1988), Street Fighter 2 (1992), Grand Theft Auto III (2002) and Doom 3 (2004)
2. Voting has already started for the 2009 GJA Awards
As if we haven't already mentioned this, if you head over to the Golden Joystick Awards voting page you can give us your valuable opinion on which games deserve the coveted trophies. We genuinely want to know.
3. The winners get an actual golden (plated) joystick
The gaming equivalent of an Oscar
4. The ceremony always has a celebrity compere
Everyone knows celebrities who turn up at a game events typically know nothing about games whatsoever. The Golden Joystick Awards is no exception.
BBC's Jonathan Ross presented the 2002 awards
Aside from a few confessed gamer comperes (UK Talk Show host Jonathan Ross is a notable exception) the awards are normally presided over by an 'of-the-moment' comedian who knows naff all about games. They do one of two things - use their slot to take take the piss out of people who like or work in games (cue awkward laughter from the audience, who are 95% games industry) or say nothing whatsoever about games in their (usually very funny) opening routine.
Yes, that's David Mitchell off Peep Show. He didn't turn up for the after party
Like we said, it's a tradition. And it wouldn't be the same without it. Globally famous presenters of the Golden Joystick Awards include Matt Lucas of Little Britain/USA, Jonthan Ross and David Mitchell (Peep Show).
And Little Britain's Majorie Doors (Matt Lucas) embarassed everyone in 2002
BONUS UK Specific celebrity corner:
For our UK readers here's a few other photos from the archives that show GJA presenters from the past. US readers get kudos for knowing who any of these people are...
Radio One Superstar Dave Lee Travis in 1982
'Later...' presenter Jools Holland in 1987
UK 'Millionaire' presenter Chris Tarrant took over in 1989
Capital Radio DJ and general loud-mouth Danny Baker in 1991
Friday Night Project funny man Justin Lee Collins in 2006
5. Some girls attend the awards
Girls from The Sun newspaper give out an award
As if to remind the audience that *as a general rule* men like games more than girls, female-types are hired in to bring a bit of glamour to the proceedings, fill the gaps between the men and ensure backstage awards photographs don't look too hideous. Well, not *too* hideous.
6. Mostly men of games attend
Here you are then, have a look at some men of games.
7. It's a big enough deal for the BBC to cover it
If you look carefully in this video, broadcasted on BBC news, around the 00:12 mark you catch a glimpse of the world's most famous Cornish video game writer, our very own Matt Cundy (he's wearing a greyish suit).
Apparently his uncle has this once-in-a-lifetime moment of fame captured for eternity on a VHS tape. It was certainly a highlight in Cundy's career.
8. Last year Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare won nearly everything
9. There's always a celebrity-free 'aftershow party'
You know how the hottest tickets at major awards ceremonies like the Oscars, Grammies, BAFTAs and MTV are the aftershow parties? Well, after the Golden Joystick Awards there's a big aftershow party. It's exactly the same as say, the MTV Music Awards. Except it has less people at it, slightly lower-grade free drinks and no celebrities (and the free drink runs out in about 30 minutes).
However, it is very much the UK games industry's drinking event of the year and if you're not there you're a nobody. Or a celebrity.
10. The voice of the UK National Lottery introduces all the nominations
We're scraping the barrel here. If you're reading this from anywhere west of Prince Edward Island, well done for scrolling this far down the page.
Anyway, the man who reads out nominations for the awards is called Alan Dedicoat, whose other claim to fame is reading out the UK National Lottery numbers on live TV.
If you really want to hear what he sounds like we've found a clip from YouTube for you:
11. It's the only game awards voted for by gamers
Setting the Golden Joysticks apart from other lesser game awards is the unique voting mechanic. Rather than use a bunch of stuffy uninformed judges, games are voted for by gamers themselves via CVG and GamesRadar.
Each year a long list is voted by website users to narrow down the nominations for each category. This is followed by a shortlist phase to decide the ultimate winners, announced at an event in London, England.
This means that the games included in the list for 2009 had to have been released between May 22nd 2008 and May 22nd 2009.
12. It will be broadcast live on GamesRadar and CVG on October 30th
We don't know how or where just yet, so look out for more info on this nearer the time.
Nothing that the public votes for and that rewards innovation and popularity is pointless. You'd be as well saying review scores don't matter. It might be small (it's more BAFTA than Oscar) but it's at least something to put on the packaging
"This year marks the 27th Golden Joystick Awards which will be held in London, England on 30 October 2009. For the maths-challenged that means the first GJAs was held way back in 1982."
Err, clearly the author is mathematically-challenged. If 2009 is the 27th year, that means it began in 1983.
"This year marks the 27th Golden Joystick Awards which will be held in London, England on 30 October 2009. For the maths-challenged that means the first GJAs was held way back in 1982."
Err, clearly the author is mathematically-challenged. If 2009 is the 27th year, that means it began in 1983.
Please remember show your working out so all the class can understand.
"This year marks the 27th Golden Joystick Awards which will be held in London, England on 30 October 2009. For the maths-challenged that means the first GJAs was held way back in 1982."
Err, clearly the author is mathematically-challenged. If 2009 is the 27th year, that means it began in 1983.
"This year marks the 27th Golden Joystick Awards which will be held in London, England on 30 October 2009. For the maths-challenged that means the first GJAs was held way back in 1982."
Err, clearly the author is mathematically-challenged. If 2009 is the 27th year, that means it began in 1983.
2009 - 27 = 1982
It's the same old issue where the first year is actually the value zero. So if the first year was 1982 we'd actually be on the 28th Awards.
"This year marks the 27th Golden Joystick Awards which will be held in London, England on 30 October 2009. For the maths-challenged that means the first GJAs was held way back in 1982."
Err, clearly the author is mathematically-challenged. If 2009 is the 27th year, that means it began in 1983.
2009 - 27 = 1982
It's the same old issue where the first year is actually the value zero. So if the first year was 1982 we'd actually be on the 28th Awards.
True, except a lot of people in day-to-day life do not think of it in those terms.
Yeah. It's like how they kept raving about Big Brother having it's 10th anniversary this year. No....it's the 10th (crap) SERIES, it's only been 9 years. Idiots.
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