Game Developers Choice Awards | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Awarded for | Outstanding game developers and games |
Presented by | Game Developers Conference |
First awarded | March 24, 2001 |
Website | Official website |
The Game Developers Choice Awards are awards annually presented at the Game Developers Conference for outstanding game developers and games. [1] Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by the Spotlight Awards, which were presented from 1997 to 1999. [2] Since then, the ceremony for the Independent Games Festival is held just prior to the Choice Awards ceremony.
Nominations for games are by made by International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), a group of leading game creators. Votes are then additionally made by editors of Game Developer. [3] Any video game released in the preceding calendar year, regardless of medium, is eligible to be nominated, though upgrades, expansions, and mission packs are not eligible to be nominated. [3]
The top nominated games are assembled into the list of nominees, typically presented in December, are then voted on by final voting body, made up of ICANs, and editors of Game Developer. [3] In this final stage of voting, games with the highest votes in a category are the winners. [3]
Winners for Special Awards (Lifetime Achievement, Pioneer, Ambassador) are decided by a "Special Awards Jury", which appears to consist of a variety of 5 people. [4] This group may consider recommendations from ICAN members. [3]
The winners are announced during the Game Developers Conference, which is typically held in March of the calendar year.
GDC related properties are owned by the UBM technology group.
In 2007, gamasutra.com took over management of the awards from the IGDA. [5] An advisory board selected by the editors of gamasutra.com and Game Developer magazine oversees the selection process.
In the past, nominations are accepted from registered gamasutra.com users, confirmed to be game developers, and from the advisory board. Once the nomination process is complete, the advisory board identifies five finalists for each regular category.
The recipients of the Lifetime Achievement, Pioneer (formerly known as First Penguin) and Maverick awards are selected by the advisory board. For the other awards, a vote open to all those who participated in the nomination process chooses a recipient from each category's finalists. [6]
Note: Events held for awards are held early in the following year. Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
The Game of the Year Award recognizes the overall best game released during the previous calendar year, as interpreted by the members of the Game Developers Conference.
Best Audio award recognizes the overall excellence of audio in a game, including sound effects, musical composition, sound design and orchestration.
The Best Debut Award recognizes the best game from any development studio which released its first publicly available title during the calendar year. This was formerly known as the New Studio of the Year Award. In years prior to 2008, the award was awarded to the studio name, as opposed to the game title.
Best Design award recognizes the overall excellence of design in a game, including gameplay, mechanics, puzzles, play balancing, and scenarios.
Best Mobile/Handheld Game Award recognizes the overall best game commercially released on any handheld platform.
The Innovation Award recognizes games that demonstrate innovation and push the boundaries of games as an expressive medium. Multiple awards per year were given before 2007.
Best Narrative award recognizes the quality of writing in a game, including story, plot construction, dialogue, and branching narratives.
Best Technology award recognizes the overall excellence of technology in a game, including graphics programming, artificial intelligence, networking, and physics.
Best Visual Art award recognizes the overall excellence of visual art in a game, including animation, modeling, art direction, and textures.
These awards are voted by the audience for best game of that year.
Known as the First Penguin award until 2007, the Pioneer Award celebrates individuals who developed a breakthrough technology, game concept or gameplay design.
GDC had announced their intention to award Nolan Bushnell (co-founder of Atari) the 2017 Pioneer Award. [48] However, after several people asked the GDC to reconsider this in light of documented sexist activities in Bushnell's past in light of the current #MeToo movement, GDC opted to not award the Pioneer Award and instead "will dedicate this year's award to honor the pioneering and unheard voices of the past". [49] [50]
The Ambassador Award is given to individuals within or outside the industry who helped video games "advance to a better place." [51] It replaced the IGDA Award for Community Contribution after 2008. [52]
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the achievements of a developer who has impacted games and game development.
The following award categories have been retired or replaced with a different focus.
Best Downloadable Game Award recognizes the overall best game released on console or PC platforms specifically and solely for digital download - with an emphasis on smaller, more 'casual'-friendly titles.
The Character Design award recognizes the overall excellence of non-licensed character design in a game, including originality, character arc and emotional depth.
The IGDA Award for Community Contribution recognized developers for significant efforts "building community, sharing knowledge, speaking on behalf of developers and/or contributing to the art form of game development". [52] The Ambassador Award replaced it after 2007. [51]
The Maverick Award recognizes the current achievements of a developer who exhibits independence in thought and action while experimenting with alternate/emerging forms of digital games.
For its eight iteration in 2010, GDC Austin was rebranded as GDC Online, with a greater focus on MMOs, and social and casual games. [59] The Game Developers Choice Online Awards were also introduced to recognize technical excellence and innovation in online games. In addition to the awards of the competitive categories, special awards were given out to pioneering online games and creators. [60] In 2012 it was announced that GDC Online would be replaced by GDC Next in Los Angeles in 2013, and the awards were subsequently discontinued. [61] [62]
The 2010 awards ceremony took place on October 7, 2010. League of Legends by Riot Games led the winners with five awards from six nominations, including the publicly voted Audience Award. [63] Richard Bartle received the Online Game Legend award for his work on the first MUD and the 2003 book Designing Virtual Worlds . The massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Ultima Online was inducted into the GDC Online Awards Hall of Fame for being "a specific online game that has resulted in the long-term advancement of the medium, pioneering major shifts in online game development and games as a whole." [64]
Award | Game | Publisher |
---|---|---|
Best Online Technology | League of Legends | Riot Games |
Best Social Network Game | Social City | Playdom |
Best Online Visual Arts | League of Legends | Riot Games |
Best Audio for an Online Game | Aion | NCSoft |
Best Community Relations | World of Warcraft | Blizzard Entertainment |
Best Online Game Design | League of Legends | Riot Games |
Best Live Game | Eve Online | CCP Games |
Best New Online Game | League of Legends | Riot Games |
Audience Award | League of Legends | Riot Games |
Award | Recipient |
---|---|
Online Game Legend Award | Richard Bartle |
GDC Online Awards Hall of Fame | Ultima Online (Electronic Arts) |
The 2011 awards ceremony took place on October 12, 2011. All the awards from the previous year returned, and a new award for Online Innovation was introduced. Minecraft and Rift by Mojang and Trion Worlds respectively took home the most awards, with two each. Kelton Flinn and John Taylor received the special Online Game Legend award as founders of Kesmai and creators of Island of Kesmai and Air Warrior . Additionally, the MMORPG EverQuest was inducted into the GDC Online Awards Hall of Fame. [65]
Award | Game | Publisher |
---|---|---|
Best Online Game Design | Spiral Knights | Three Rings Design/Sega |
Best Online Visual Arts | DC Universe Online | Sony Online Entertainment |
Best Community Relations | Minecraft | Mojang |
Best Online Technology | Rift | Trion Worlds |
Best Social Network Game | Gardens of Time | Playdom |
Best Audio for an Online Game | Clone Wars Adventures | Sony Online Entertainment |
Best New Online Game | Rift | Trion Worlds |
Best Live Game | Minecraft | Mojang |
Online Innovation | Shadow Cities | Grey Area |
Audience Award | Wizard101 | KingsIsle Entertainment |
Award | Recipient |
---|---|
Online Game Legend | Kelton Flinn and John Taylor |
GDC Online Awards Hall of Fame | EverQuest (Sony Online Entertainment) |
The 2011 awards ceremony took place on October 10, 2012. Star Wars: The Old Republic , developed by BioWare Austin, became the top winner at four awards, with League of Legends by Riot Games trailing slightly behind at three awards. [66] The Online Game Legend award was given to Raph Koster, developer of previous Hall of Fame inductee Ultima Online as well as Star Wars: Galaxies . MMORPG World of Warcraft was inducted into the GDC Online Awards Hall of Fame. [67]
Award | Game | Developer |
---|---|---|
Best Online Game Design | Star Wars: The Old Republic | BioWare Austin |
Best Online Visual Arts | Star Wars: The Old Republic | BioWare Austin |
Best Community Relations | League of Legends | Riot Games |
Best Online Technology | Star Wars: The Old Republic | BioWare Austin |
Best Social Network Game | Draw Something | OMGPOP/Zynga |
Best Audio for an Online Game | Diablo III | Blizzard Entertainment |
Best New Online Game | Star Wars: The Old Republic | BioWare Austin |
Best Live Game | League of Legends | Riot Games |
Online Innovation | Journey | Thatgamecompany |
Audience Award | League of Legends | Riot Games |
Award | Recipient |
---|---|
Online Game Legend | Raph Koster |
GDC Online Awards Hall of Fame | World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment) |
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a 1998 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998 and in PAL regions the following month. Ocarina of Time is the first game in The Legend of Zelda series with 3D graphics.
Koji Kondo is a Japanese music composer, pianist, and sound director for the video game company Nintendo. He is best known for his many contributions to the Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda series of video games, among others produced by the company. Kondo was hired by Nintendo in 1984, becoming the first person hired by them to specialize in video game music. His work in the Mario and Zelda series have been cited as the most memorable in video games, such as the Super Mario Bros. overworld theme.
The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, and innovation in video game development by CMP Media, later known as UBM Technology Group, IGF is now owned by Informa after UBM's acquisition.
Game Developer was a magazine for video game creators, originally started in March 1994 by Miller Freeman, Inc as quarterly, later bimonthly, and finally monthly. In each issue, industry leaders and experts shared technical solutions, reviewed new game development tools, and discussed strategies for creating innovative, successful video games. Monthly postmortems dissected the industry's leading games, from AAA console to social and mobile games and beyond, and columns gave insight into deeper development practices from across all disciplines, from design, to programming, to art, to business, and audio. It was closed in 2013 as part of a restructuring at parent company UBM Tech that included the closing of all print publications owned by that company.
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutorials, lectures, and roundtables by industry professionals on game-related topics covering programming, design, audio, production, business and management, and visual arts.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a 2007 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is the fourteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series and the direct sequel to the 2002 GameCube title The Wind Waker. Phantom Hourglass was released worldwide in 2007, with the exception of South Korea in April 2008. The game was re-released for the Wii U via the Virtual Console service in the PAL region in November 2015, in North America in May 2016, and in Japan in August.
Numerous video games were released in 2011. Many awards went to games such as Batman: Arkham City, Portal 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Madden NFL 12, NBA 2K12, WWE '12, WWE All-Stars and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. 2011 also marked the worldwide release of the Nintendo 3DS.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. Set at the end of the Zelda timeline, the player controls an amnesiac Link as he sets out to save Princess Zelda and prevent Calamity Ganon from destroying the world. Players explore the open world of Hyrule while they collect items and complete objectives such as puzzles or side quests. Breath of the Wild's world is unstructured and encourages exploration and experimentation; the story can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.
Neil Druckmann is an Israeli-American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer. He has been co-president of the video game developer Naughty Dog since 2020 and head of creative since 2023, and is best known for his work on the game franchises Uncharted and The Last of Us, having co-created the latter.
The D.I.C.E. Awards is an annual awards show in the video game industry, and commonly referred to as the video game equivalent of the Academy Awards. The awards are arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and held during the AIAS' annual D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas. "D.I.C.E." is a backronym for "Design Innovate Communicate Entertain". The D.I.C.E. Awards recognizes games, individuals, and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.
The Game Developers Choice Award for the Game of the Year, also known as GDCA Game of the Year, is the main video game award presented at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers. The conference, usually held in or around March in San Francisco, presents the award as part of the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), a series of awards honoring outstanding achievements in video game design for games released during the previous calendar year. It has been awarded since 2001.
The SXSW Gaming Awards were awards given to video games during the annual South by Southwest Festival (SXSW), held in Austin, Texas typically in March of that year. The Awards were part of the SXSW Gaming Expo which is part of the SXSW Interactive branch of the festival.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. It is given in honor of "the single game, without regard to system or delivery mechanism, voted by the membership of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences that best utilizes the chosen medium to entertain users". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award recognizes titles in which "players are challenged with real-time action activities where timing, skill, and accuracy are necessary to succeed. Puzzle-solving, resource management and exploration often drive the quest oriented narrative rather than primarily combat mechanics". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. The award initially had separate awards for console action games and computer games at the 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 1998 with the first winners being Final Fantasy VII for console and Blade Runner for computer. There have been numerous mergers and additions of adventure-related games throughout the history of the awards ceremony. The current version was officially introduced at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2008, which was awarded to Super Mario Galaxy.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in designing a unified graphic look for an interactive title". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as an artist, animator or programmer are qualified to vote for this award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the title that most effectively combines interactive and non-interactive elements to create a cohesive gameplay experience. Outstanding design is exemplified by balanced system design, cohesive mechanics that relate to overall aesthetic direction, level layout, challenge flow, progression elements, interface design, and social game mechanics. This award recognizes the Lead Designer or Design Director in architecting all elements into a unified design". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as a game designer or producer are qualified to vote for this award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Story is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work has furthered the interactive experience through the creation of a game world — whether an original creation, one adapted from existing material, or an extension of an existing property which best exemplifies the coalescence of setting, character, and plot". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as a game designer or producer are qualified to vote for this award. It was first offered at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, with its first winner being Pokémon Red and Blue.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This recognizes "the individual or small group of individuals who are responsible for directing and driving an interactive game and its team through a combination of skills that include vision, management execution, and game design to create a cohesive experience. This award recognizes the role of the creative director and game director - in guiding all elements of a title and shaping the final outcome of a game". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as a game designer or producer are qualified to vote for this award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. The award "celebrates the highest level of technical achievement through the combined attention to gameplay engineering and visual engineering. Elements honored include but are not limited to artificial intelligence, physics, engine mechanics, and visual rendering". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as an artist, animator or programmer are qualified to vote for this award.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)