This year’s Video Game Awards on Spike TV had some improvements over the previous years’ shows. There are still improvements to be made, but overall the show was an enjoyable two hours.

Last week, I wrote about how the producers of the show try to cater to mainstream audiences rather than gamers by bringing in A-list celebrities who serve no real purpose on the show. This year, at least the celebrities didn’t participate in embarrassing skits or say horrible jokes. For that, I am grateful.

One problem I had with the show was the backstage nerd segments. The segments were aimed at gamers, or nerds, but in the end they were a waste of time that could have been used to present more awards on stage.

Samuel L. Jackson was the host of the show, but we have seen him do the same stuff before. The problem with him as a host is that he draws too much attention to himself. It’s like he just wants to show the gaming world how awesome he is. His skits were somewhat funny, but just like the nerd segments, they were a waste of time.

The major problem I had with the show was the lack of awards given onstage. There were a total of 27 award categories for the show. I understand that just naming each winner can get boring and repetitive, but I believe there are a couple of awards that should be given onstage. Awards like game of the year, best Xbox 360 game, best PS3 game and best PC game should be given during the show. In order to find out who won the rest of the awards, you have to look at the VGA website, which I find ridiculous.

One of the things the show did well was showcasing the new games of 2013. Not only did we get trailers for the new Tomb Raider and The Last of Us, but also of games we didn’t know were in development. Dark Souls II and The Phantom Pain were the two new games showcased for the first time. Surprises like this are great because it draws in more people to see what other games might get announced.

I also liked the decisions the voting panel made. Borderlands 2 won the best shooter award as well as the best multi-player game award. The game of the year award was given to The Walking Dead: The Game. While this has drawn some criticism, I believe it was a good choice.

Overall, I think the Video Game Awards show is heading in the right direction. As long as the producers focus on recognizing the best games, not just the mainstream ones, they are in good shape.

Instead of showing trailers for games we already know are coming out, I would suggest showing more world premiere trailers. Also, I would like to see more awards given during the show, and to do this they should eliminate time-wasting segments and skits. Having a new host would be a nice change as well.

The Video Game Awards are starting to be more credible, and I look forward to next year’s show.