13th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Winners

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

Journey 

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

Journey 

Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment

Best Handheld Mobile Game

The Room

Developed and Published by Fireproof Studios

Innovation Award

Journey 

Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment

Best Audio

Journey 

Developed by Thatgamecompany
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment

Pioneer Award 

Steve Russell

Spacewar!

Best Debut Game

FTL: Faster Than Light 

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 & 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.