We’ve gotten to the point with games where we don’t have to argue that they’re a legitimate medium any more and events like D.I.C.E. and the Game Developers Choice Awards serve to enforce that perspective. They’re big deals; they might not boast the flashy suits of something like the Oscars or the Emmys but they definitely end up on glossy magazine covers and mean just as much for sales, the community and the fans as their cinema counterparts do.
Tim Schafer was a pretty cool host, slamming every gripe you could possibly have about the gaming industry as a whole. In his introduction to the Ambassador Award, Mark DeLoura gave an impassioned speech on how games have elevated themselves to the status of art. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Roger Ebert. Let’s get to what really matters, the awards:
Best Downloadable Game
Journey
Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Best Narrative
The Walking Dead
Developed & Published by Telltale Games
Best Visual Arts
JourneyÂ
Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Ambassador Award
Chris Melissinos
The Art of Videogames at the Smithsonian (68,000 people attended)
Best Technology
FarCry 3
Developed by Ubisoft Montreal
Published by Ubisoft
Best Game Design
JourneyÂ
Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Best Handheld Mobile Game
The Room
Developed and Published by Fireproof Studios
Innovation Award
JourneyÂ
Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Best Audio
JourneyÂ
Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Pioneer AwardÂ
Steve Russell
Spacewar!
Best Debut Game
FTL: Faster Than LightÂ
Developed and Published by Subset Games
Audience Award Winner
Dishonoured
Developed by Arkane Studios
Published by Bethesda Softworks
In Memoriam
Will Townsend
Joe Skivolovke
Paul Steed
Mike Singleton
Steve Kordek
Adam Adamowicz
Bill Sears
Kenji Eno
Normand Corbeil
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr Ray Muzyka &Â Greg Zeschuk
Game of the Year
Journey
Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
That’s it for the awards. You can find the IGF Awards, the Independent Games Festival’s ceremonies that preceded the GDC Awards here.