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As video games continue in their quest to achieve acceptability in the eyes of the public, their cause was bolstered by the news that more individuals engage in gaming than venture to the movies. This report taken along side continuing statements that claim the industry is thriving despite tough economic times offers enough reason to believe that the state of the video game industry is in relatively good stead.

However, with the report that it is more preferable to play a video game than see a movie and news stating that games are outdoing movies in terms of revenue, it begs the question of whether or not games should receive movie-like treatment and have their own Oscar-styled event.

I believe that the time is right for such an event.

However, one would ask, what about the Spike TV Video Game Awards? After all, that is surely an event that recognizes successful video games. While it is true that the Spike TV awards recognize games and do their part to highlight the ups and downs in the industry, the way it is now, most view it as a joke, with everyone from gamers themselves to major blogs expressing emotions ranging from disappointment to ambivalence.

If gaming is going to have an Oscar-styled event, they should look to Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Interactive Achievement Awards as inspiration. Unlike Spike TV’s awards show, these awards are held in much higher regard than Spike’s show. Ironically, this show is not without its problems either, as companies like Capcom are understandably dissatisfied with this awards show’s pay-to-play policies.

Interestingly, when one looks at awards shows side by side, they see a show that has plenty of flash, not a great deal of substance, and a show that has a great deal of substance but not a lot of flash.

I think that it would be great if these awards shows would combine into one large event.

Doing so would achieve the following effects: First, it would show that the industry is capable enough to stand alongside mediums that have their own awards shows, such as movies and music. Also, having an awards show would successfully prove to adults unfamiliar with video games that our medium is something that can actually be taken seriously.

When speaking about having the opportunity to finally have the Interactive Achievement Awards televised on cable, Joseph Olin, the president of AIAS, mentioned that video games, due to their capability of having players explore fantastic worlds and having the ability to share said worlds with friends and family.

Having an award show dedicated to that medium would be a key step into making this ideal possible.

Read [Yahoo Games] Also Read [NPR] [Crispy Gamer] Also Read [Gamertell]