It’s the start of awards season in the games world. From now until Christmas, an array of glittering and glamorous awards ceremonies will be taking place across the length and breadth of the UK, as various organisations hand out a variety of trophies, awards, gongs, certificates and other endorsements, to game developers, publishers and associated organisations.
Despite a solid Presbyterian mistrust of anything which smacks of self-promotion or wicked, wanton, whoreish ways, Scottish games developers have entered many of these competitions and have achieved some degree of success with their shameless idolatry.
Last week saw the 30th Golden Joystick awards, which is the world’s longest-running games awards. Each award is voted for by punters, consumers, you know, members of the public. This year there were over 4,000,000 votes cast, more than doubling the competition’s previous Guinness Record breaking best.
The deserving recipient in the Golden Joysticks was 4J Studios. Minecraft for XBLA scooped the Best Downloadable Game category, very well deserved given that the game has become not only the fastest-selling Xbox Live Arcade game ever, but the best-selling Xbox Live game ever.
A full twelve months before they need to invest in more real estate, just to store the awards they’re likely to pick up for GTA V, Rockstar North also managed to win the One To Watch award, for the self-same game, stealing the thunder of Assassin’s Creed 3 and Elder Scrolls Online.
Congratulations to 4J Studios and Rockstar North.
Next up were the TIGA Awards. These are industry awards, handed out by The Independent Game developers Association to companies which make videogames – and the people who help them do so.
Scotland did fairly well in the nominations, with companies competing in several categories and indeed the Student Game category was all but swamped with teams who had competed in – and created their games during – Dare to be Digital.
The winners from the TIGA Awards were…
4J Studios – Minecraft – Best Arcade Game
Denki – Quarrel – Best Social Game
Denki – Quarrel – Best Serious Game
Faceplant – Gravtech – Best Student Game
Games Analytics – Predict – Best Technology
The Scottish Games Network team (who were inexplicably missed out of the nominations for any awards – TIGA, GMA or ‘other’ over the last twelve months. Again. Not that we’re bitter…) would like to congratulate 4J (again), Rockstar North, Denki (twice), Faceplant and Games Analytics on their success, glory and the shiny awards, which will no doubt grace their offices and look resplendent upon and within their press releases in the weeks to come.
Well done to all concerned. To everyone who failed to enter, get nominated or win, cheer the hell up, there’s always next year. Our tip would be to make better games. Or indeed run a better games network…
The image is fake… The awards were fake too?