SXSW Gaming Awards
| WOW Gaming Awards | |
|---|---|
 2017 WOW Gaming Awards | |
 | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding achievements in the video game industry |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | March 7, 2014 (2014-03-07) |
| Website | www.sxsw.com/awards/gaming-awards/ |
The WOW Gaming Awards are 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 are part of the SXSW Gaming Expo which is part of the SXSW Interactive branch of the festival.
Contents
1 History
2 Format
2.1 Show history
3 Awards
3.1 Video Game of the Year
3.2 Mobile Game of the Year
3.3 Tabletop Game of the Year
3.4 VR Game of the Year
3.5 Excellence in Gameplay
3.6 Excellence in Art
3.7 Excellence in Animation
3.8 Excellence in Visual Achievement
3.9 Excellence in Technical Achievement
3.10 Excellence in Narrative
3.11 Excellence in Design and Direction
3.12 Excellence in Gaming Marketing
3.13 Excellence in SFX
3.14 Excellence in Musical Score
3.15 Excellence in Multiplayer
3.16 Excellence in Convergence
3.17 Texas Arts Achievement
3.18 Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
3.19 Most Valuable Character
3.20 Esports Game of the Year
3.21 Most Valuable eSports Team
3.22 Most Valuable Online Channel
3.23 Most Entertaining Online Personality
3.24 Most Valuable Add-On Content
3.25 Most Anticipated Crowdfunded Game
3.26 Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game
3.27 Most Promising New Intellectual Property
3.28 Trending Game of the Year
3.29 Fan Creation of the Year
3.30 Gamer's Voice Award
3.30.1 Single Player
3.30.2 Multiplayer
4 References
5 External links
History
Video games had been part of the SXSW within the SXSW Interactive branch; in 2006, the festival launched "Screenburn" as a special portion of the Interactive branch for video games, and later renamed this to SXSW Gaming in 2013.[1]
Matthew Crump, a veteran game developer, joined SXSW in 2012 and spearheaded the efforts to create the SXSW Gaming Awards to premiere during the 2014 festival.[2] The new awards in fifteen different categories were announced in September 2013 to be awarded during the 2014 festival.[3] However, Crump died from a heart attack just before the festival.[2] The event organizers opted to rename the "Cultural Innovation in Gaming" to the "Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award" to honor Crump's contributions to the festival.[4] Future years added additional award categories.
Format
Developers and publishers must submit their games for consideration to the festival organizers prior to a deadline; these games generally must have had public release in the preceding calendar year to the festival (for example, for the inaugural 2014 awards, games had to be released in 2013).[3] The festival's organizers along with a panel of industry experts review all submissions and select the top five for each of the game categories. These are then opened to public voting for the final winner for each award to be chosen.[5]
The Gamer's Voice awards are exceptional to these: they are limited only to indie games released in the previous calendar year or the current year, and which any member of the public may nominate. The festival organizers select multiple games (typically more than five) after playing through each as nominees for the award. These games are featured in playable form at the SXSW festival to allow attendees to try them before they vote for their favorite.[5]
The awards ceremony is held near the end of the SXSW event, with celebrity and gaming hosts presenting the awards.
Show history
| Year | Event Number | Date | Location | Hosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1st | March 7, 2014 | Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin, TX | Justine "iJustine" Ezarik and Smosh[3] |
| 2015 | 2nd | March 14, 2015 | Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX | Janet Varney and Mark Edward "Markiplier" Fischbach[6] |
| 2016 | 3rd | March 19, 2016 | Hilton Austin Downtown, Austin, TX | Séan "Jacksepticeye" William McLoughlin and Rachel "Seltzer" Quirico[7] |
| 2017 | 4th | March 18, 2017 | Hilton Austin Downtown, Austin, TX | OMGitsfirefoxx and Xavier Woods[8] |
| 2018 | 5th | March 17, 2018 | Hilton Austin Downtown, Austin, TX | Alanah Pearce and Rich Campbell[9] |
Awards
Video Game of the Year
This award was named "Game of the Year" in 2014, but was renamed when the Mobile and Tabletop awards were added.
- 2014 - The Last of Us, Naughty Dog[4]
- 2015 - Dragon Age: Inquisition, BioWare[10]
- 2016 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red[11]
- 2017 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Naughty Dog[12]
- 2018 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo[9]
Mobile Game of the Year
- 2015 - Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment[10]
- 2016 - Her Story, Sam Barlow[11]
- 2017 - Pokémon Go, Niantic[12]
- 2018 - Fire Emblem Heroes, Nintendo[9]
Tabletop Game of the Year
- 2015 - Star Realms, White Wizard Games[10]
- 2016 - Pandemic Legacy, Z-Man Games[11]
- 2017 - Arkham Horror: The Card Game, Fantasy Flight Games[12]
- 2018 - Gloomhaven, Cephalofair Games[9]
VR Game of the Year
- 2018 - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Capcom[9]
Excellence in Gameplay
- 2014 - Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, 505 Studios[4]
- 2015 - Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Monolith Productions[10]
- 2016 - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions[11]
- 2017 - Doom, id Software[12]
- 2018 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo[9]
Excellence in Art
- 2014 - BioShock Infinite, Irrational Games[4]
- 2015 - Child of Light, Ubisoft[10]
- 2016 - Bloodborne, FromSoftware[11]
- 2017 - Firewatch, Campo Santo[12]
- 2018 - Cuphead, StudioMDHR[9]
Excellence in Animation
- 2014 - Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Namco Bandai[4]
- 2015 - Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Monolith Productions[10]
- 2016 - Rise of the Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics[11]
- 2017 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Naughty Dog[12]
- 2018 - Cuphead, StudioMDHR[9]
Excellence in Visual Achievement
- 2015 - Far Cry 4, Ubisoft[10]
- 2016 - The Order: 1886, Ready at Dawn[11]
- 2017 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Naughty Dog[12]
- 2018 - Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games[9]
Excellence in Technical Achievement
- 2014 - Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar Games[4]
- 2015 - Destiny, Bungie[10]
- 2016 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red[11]
- 2017 - Battlefield 1, EA DICE[12]
- 2018 - Nier: Automata, PlatinumGames[9]
Excellence in Narrative
- 2014 - The Last of Us, Naughty Dog[4]
- 2015 - The Wolf Among Us, Telltale Games[10]
- 2016 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red[11]
- 2017 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Naughty Dog[12]
- 2018 - What Remains of Edith Finch, Giant Sparrow[9]
Excellence in Design and Direction
- 2014 - Tearaway, Media Molecule[4]
- 2015 - Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Monolith Productions[10]
- 2016 - Bloodborne, FromSoftware[11]
- 2017 - Dishonored 2, Arkane Studios[12]
- 2018 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo[9]
Excellence in Gaming Marketing
- 2014 - Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Ubisoft[4]
Excellence in SFX
- 2014 - The Last of Us, Naughty Dog[4]
- 2015 - Alien: Isolation, Creative Assembly[10]
- 2016 - Star Wars Battlefront, EA DICE[11]
- 2017 - Battlefield 1, EA DICE[12]
- 2018 - Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo[9]
Excellence in Musical Score
- 2014 - The Last of Us, Naughty Dog[4]
- 2015 - Transistor, Supergiant Games[10]
- 2016 - Ori and the Blind Forest, Moon Studios[11]
- 2017 - Doom, id Software[12]
- 2018 - Nier: Automata, PlatinumGames[9]
Excellence in Multiplayer
Formally "Best Multiplayer Game" until 2016
- 2014 - Super Mario 3D World, Nintendo[4]
- 2015 - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Nintendo[10]
- 2016 - Rocket League, Psyonix[11]
- 2017 - Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment[12]
- 2018 - PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, PUBG Corp.[9]
Excellence in Convergence
Awarded for a game that exemplifies crossover medium appeal. Formally the "Convergence Award" until 2016
- 2014 - Injustice: Gods Among Us, Warner Bros. Interactive[4]
- 2015 - South Park: The Stick of Truth, Obsidian Entertainment[10]
- 2016 - Batman: Arkham Knight, Rocksteady Studios[11]
- 2017 - Batman: The Telltale Series, Telltale Games[12]
- 2018 - Star Wars Battlefront II, EA DICE[9]
Texas Arts Achievement
Awarded to a Texas-based studio or game
- 2014 - Galactic Cafe[4]
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Awarded for a game that challenges the normal idea of video gaming, offering a culturally innovative view of the world
- 2014 - Papers, Please, 3909 LLC[4]
- 2015 - This War of Mine, 11 bit studios[10]
- 2016 - Undertale, tobyfox[11]
- 2017 - That Dragon, Cancer, Numinious Games[12]
- 2018 - Doki Doki Literature Club!, Team Salvato[9]
Most Valuable Character
- 2015 - Ellie, The Last of Us[10]
- 2016 - Lara Croft, Rise of the Tomb Raider[11]
- 2017 - Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Naughty Dog[12]
Esports Game of the Year
- 2017 - Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment[12]
- 2018 - PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, PUBG Corp.[9]
Most Valuable eSports Team
- 2015 - Cloud9[10]
- 2016 - Evil Geniuses[11]
Most Valuable Online Channel
- 2015 - Rooster Teeth[10]
Most Entertaining Online Personality
- 2016 - Greg Miller, Kinda Funny[11]
Most Valuable Add-On Content
- 2015 - Left Behind, The Last of Us[10]
Most Anticipated Crowdfunded Game
- 2015 - Star Citizen[10]
Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game
- 2016 - Undertale, tobyfox[11]
- 2017 - Starbound, Chucklefish[12]
- 2018 - Night in the Woods, Infinite Fall[9]
Most Promising New Intellectual Property
- 2016 - Splatoon, Nintendo[11]
- 2017 - Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment[12]
- 2018 - Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games[9]
Trending Game of the Year
- 2017 - Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment[12]
- 2018 - PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, PUBG Corp.[9]
Fan Creation of the Year
- 2017 - Brutal Doom 64, Sergeant_Mark_IV[12]
Gamer's Voice Award
Award to an indie game voted by the public; split into Single and Multi-player categories in 2016.
- 2014 - Nidhogg, Messhof[4]
- 2015 - SpeedRunners, DoubleDutch Games[10]
Single Player
- 2016 - Superhot, Superhot Team[11]
- 2017 - Owlboy, D-Pad Studio[12]
Multiplayer
- 2016 - Gang Beasts, Boneloaf[11]
- 2017 - Arena Gods, Supertype Games[12]
References
^ SXSW Interactive: A Growing Outlet For Video Games, Matt Clark, iQU', March 14, 2012 Archived May 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
^ ab Sarkar, Samit (March 3, 2014). "SXSW Gaming Expo coordinator, developer Matthew Crump dies". Polygon. Retrieved March 5, 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ abc Tact, Dave (September 12, 2013). "SXSW Gaming Expo adding Gaming Awards in 2014". Polygon. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
^ abcdefghijklmnop Renovich, James (March 8, 2014). "SXSW Gaming Awards Winners". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
^ ab "SXSW Gaming Awards". SXSW. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
^ "Second Annual SXSW Gaming Awards Announces Top Winners in 21 Categories" (PDF). South by Southwest. March 14, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
^ Whatley, Tucker (January 26, 2016). "SXSW Gaming Awards Finalists Announced". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
^ Krajewski, Brandon (February 6, 2017). "SXSW Gaming Awards Voting Ends Soon". IGN. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstu "2018 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners Revealed". IGN. March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstu Karmali, Luke (March 16, 2015). "Dragon Age: Inquisition Wins SXSW Game of the Year". IGN. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv Dornbrush, Jonathan (March 21, 2016). "SXSW Gaming Awards 2016 winners". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvw Makuch, Eddie (March 19, 2017). "Uncharted 4 Wins Game Of The Year At SXSW Awards". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
External links
- Official website
