Gears of War designed for the Xbox 360 console was on Wednesday crowned best game at a video-game industry version of the Academy Awards, complete with red carpet and adoring fans.
Winners in categories ranging from writing and visual arts to innovation, technology and best game were unveiled Oscars-style at the Seventh Annual Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony in San Francisco.
”This is absolutely unbelievable,” Cliff Bleszinski said while accepting the top game award for Gears of War, a first-person shooter title created by Epic Games and Microsoft Game Studios. ”I love all of you. And thanks, Mom, for putting up with the whole game-developer thing.”
Gears of War also won technology and visual-arts awards.
Another big winner for the night was Wii Sports software that lets users play video versions of classic games such as golf, tennis and bowling with Nintendo’s new game console equipped with motion-sensitive controllers.
Wii Sports won awards for game design and innovation, and Shigeru Miyamoto, the Nintendo game-making legend whose creations include the Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda titles, got a lifetime achievement award.
”Getting awards like this makes me feel old and like you expect me to retire soon,” Miyamoto quipped after receiving a standing ovation from the audience of 3 500 game developers and fans.
”I personally feel young and expect to do this for a long time to come. I’ve been surrounded by some very young people and have, over time, sucked up their life force to keep me going,” he said.
Other industry icons honoured at the ceremony included Alexey Pajitnov, considered the ”father of casual games” for creating Tetris, and veteran game designer and writer Greg Costikyan.
”Continuing to play into adulthood is not failing to grow up, but holding on to an ability to learn that is essential in a world of tremendous technological change,” Costikyan said while accepting a ”Maverick” award.
Iron Lore Entertainment was chosen as best new studio.
”Each year, I am humbled by what our members can do with this great art form,” said International Game Developers’ Association executive director Jason Della Rocca.
”Once again, the Game Developers Choice Awards show that gaming greatness can be found within every type of game — from the most hardcore of experiences to those that have brought all new audiences into our industry’s fan base.”
The ceremony began with the presentation of the Ninth Annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) awards to people who create video games with their own time and money.
Underwater adventure game Aquaria, made by a two-person game company called Bit Blot, was picked as best independent game and given a $20 000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize.
While the Game Developers Choice Awards were compared by organisers to the Oscars, the IGF was described as the industry’s version of the Sundance Film Festival.
Castle Crashers battle game by The Behemoth was voted audience favourite in online polling and was honoured for ”excellence in visual art” by IGF judges.
Samorost Two by Amanita Design was selected as best web-browser game and Bang! Howdy was honoured for technical excellence.
Playful and unrehearsed acceptance speeches by IGF winners ranged from a hoot and stammered thanks to an on-stage marriage proposal and a short reading from Dianetics, authored by the late science-fiction writer and Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard.
The IGF was established in 1998 to encourage innovation in game development. — Sapa-AFP