Annual video game award show
The D.I.C.E. Awards (formerly the Interactive Achievement Awards ) is an award show in the video game industry started in 1998 and commonly referred to in the industry as the "video games Oscar ".[1] [2] [3] The awards are arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and held during the AIAS' annual D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas . "D.I.C.E." is a backronym for "Design Innovate Communicate Entertain". The D.I.C.E. Awards recognize games, individuals, and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.[4]
Format
The nominees in each category are selected by a peer panel, assembled by AIAS, of over 100 video game professionals across several facets of the industry, including developers, programmers, artists, and publishers, which is published on the AIAS website each year. The nominees are then voted on by the full membership of AIAS (approximately 22,000 members) via a confidential and secured voting system, and winners are subsequently announced during the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, typically the February of that year.[5] [6] Due to this approach, the D.I.C.E. awards are considered the main peer-based recognition within the video games compared to other major awards.[7]
Award categories
The tables below are based on the awards cycle for the calendar year preceding the award ceremony date; for example, all awards given for "1997" were presented to winners in a 1998 ceremony.
Game of the Year
Overall
Action Game of the Year
Adventure Game of the Year
Cellular/Mobile Game of the Year
Downloadable Game of the Year
Family Game of the Year
Handheld/Portable Game of the Year
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
The Immersive Reality Game of the Year was added for consideration of 2016 games to award those in the growing area of virtual reality and augmented reality games.[17]
Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Referred to in the past as "Persistent World", "Online", or "Online Role-Playing" Game of the Year.
Racing Game of the Year
Role-Playing Game of the Year
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Sports Game of the Year
Fighting Game of the Year
Casual Game of the Year
Social Networking Game/Web Based Game of the Year
"Outstanding" Awards
Outstanding Animation
Outstanding Game Direction
Outstanding Art Direction
Outstanding Character Performance
Outstanding Achievement in Character
Outstanding Game Design
Outstanding Gameplay Engineering
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
This award was added to honor games from 2016 onward in technical achievements for virtual reality and augmented reality.[17]
Outstanding Licensed Soundtrack
Outstanding Online Gameplay
Outstanding Original Music Composition
Year
Winner
Composer(s)
1999/2000
UmJammer Lammy
Masaya Matsuura , Yoshihisa Suzuki, Shigeyoshi Kawagoe
2000
Medal of Honor: Underground
Michael Giacchino
2001
Tropico
Daniel Indart
2002
Medal of Honor: Frontline
Michael Giacchino
2003
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
Christopher Lennertz
2004
Fable
Russell Shaw , Danny Elfman
2005
God of War
Gerard Marino , Mike Reagan , Ron Fish , Winifred Phillips , Winnie Waldron , Cris Velasco , Marcello De Francisci
2006
LocoRoco
Nobuyuki Shimizu, Kemmei Adachi
2007
BioShock
Garry Schyman
2008
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Harry Gregson-Williams , Nobuko Toda , Shuichi Kobori, Kazuma Jinnouchi
2009
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Greg Edmonson
2010
Heavy Rain
Normand Corbeil
2011
Portal 2
Mike Morasky
2012
Journey
Austin Wintory
2013
BioShock Infinite
Garry Schyman
2014
Destiny
Michael Salvatori , C Paul Johnson, Martin O'Donnell , Paul McCartney
2015
Ori and the Blind Forest
Gareth Coker
2016
Doom [10]
Mick Gordon
2017
Cuphead [11]
Kristofer Maddigan
2018
God of War [12]
Bear McCreary
2019
Control [13]
Petri Alanko, Martin Stig Andersen
2020
Ghost of Tsushima [14]
Ilan Eshkeri , Shigeru Umebayashi
2021
Returnal [15]
Bobby Krlic , Joe Thwaites
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
Outstanding Character or Story Development
Outstanding Story
Outstanding Visual Engineering
Outstanding Technical Achievement
Innovation in Gaming
Console Awards
Console Game of the Year
Console Innovation
Console Children's
Console First Person Action
Console Sports Simulation
Console Action Sports
Computer Awards
Computer Game of the Year
Computer Innovation
Computer Educational/Skills
Computer Family/Children's
Computer First Person Action
D.I.C.E. Sprite Award
The D.I.C.E. Sprite Award was introduced in the 2015 awards ceremony. It is intended to honor "a game having disproportionate resources for development and exposure (as compared to AAA titles), represent a higher degree of risk tolerance and advances our industry with innovative gameplay and experiences".[21]
Technical Impact Award
The Technical Impact Award was added for the 2015 awards ceremony to recognize "unique innovations that contribute to the ongoing progress of interactive media".[21]
Award show hosts
Since 2000, the annual award show has been hosted by many notable figures from the entertainment world.
2000 — Martin Short
2001 — Martin Lewis
2002 — Patton Oswalt
2003 — Dave Foley
2004 — Diane Mizota
2005 — Cory Rouse and Kurt Scholler
2006 — Jay Mohr
2007 — Jay Mohr
2008 — Jay Mohr
2009 — Jay Mohr
2010 — Jay Mohr
2011 — Jay Mohr
2012 — Jay Mohr
2013 — Charles Hardwick
2014 — Freddie Wong and Felicia Day
2015 — Pete Holmes
2016 — Pete Holmes
2017 — Greg Miller and Jessica Chobot
2018 — Greg Miller and Jessica Chobot
2019 — Greg Miller and Jessica Chobot
2020 — Greg Miller and Jessica Chobot
2021 — Greg Miller, Jessica Chobot and Kahlief Adams
2022 — Greg Miller and Jessica Chobot
Special categories
Hall of Fame
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has annually inducted into its "Hall of Fame" video game developers that have made revolutionary and innovative achievements in the video game industry.[24]
Year
Person
Company/role
Notable games
1998
Shigeru Miyamoto
Nintendo
Donkey Kong , Mario , The Legend of Zelda , F-Zero , Star Fox , Pikmin , and Wii series.
1999
Sid Meier
Founder of Firaxis Games and MicroProse
Pirates! , Railroad Tycoon , Civilization , and Alpha Centauri .
2000
Hironobu Sakaguchi
Originally at Square (renamed Square Enix ), Founder of Mistwalker
Final Fantasy , Chrono Trigger , Parasite Eve , Lost Odyssey , and The Last Story .
2001
John D. Carmack
Founder of id Software
Commander Keen , Doom , Quake , and Rage .
2002
Will Wright
Founder of Maxis
SimCity , Spore , and The Sims .
2003
Yu Suzuki
Sega (head of Sega AM2 division)
Arcade games such as Hang-On , Space Harrier , Out Run , After Burner , Power Drift , and Virtua Racing , as well as the Virtua Fighter , Daytona USA , Virtua Cop , and Shenmue series.
2004
Peter Molyneux
Founder of Lionhead Studios and Bullfrog Productions
Black & White , Populous , Magic Carpet , Syndicate , Dungeon Keeper , and Fable .
2005
Trip Hawkins
Founder of Electronic Arts and Digital Chocolate
Madden Football .
2006
Richard Garriott
Founder of Origin Systems
Ultima series and Tabula Rasa .
2007
Dani Bunten (1949–1998)
Founder of Ozark Softscape
M.U.L.E. .
2008
Michael Morhaime
President & Co-Founder of Blizzard Entertainment
Warcraft , Starcraft , and Diablo .
2009
Bruce Shelley
Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires .
2010
Mark Cerny
Cerny Games
Marble Madness , Ratchet & Clank , and Jak & Daxter .
2011
Ray Muzyka & Greg Zeschuk
Co-Founders of BioWare
Knights of the Old Republic , Mass Effect , and Dragon Age .
2012
Tim Sweeney
Founder and CEO of Epic Games
Unreal and Gears of War series.
2013
Gabe Newell
Co-Founder and CEO of Valve
Portal , Half-Life , and Left 4 Dead .
2014
Sam Houser , Dan Houser and Leslie Benzies
Co-Founders of Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto and Bully .
2016
Hideo Kojima
Founder of Kojima Productions
Metal Gear Solid .
2017
Todd Howard
Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios
The Elder Scrolls and the Fallout series
2019
Bonnie Ross
Corporate Vice-President at Microsoft , Head of 343 Industries
Halo series
2020
Connie Booth
Vice-President of Product Development at Sony Interactive Entertainment
Advocate for several of Sony's first-party franchises, including Crash Bandicoot , Spyro the Dragon , Jak and Daxter , Ratchet & Clank , and Sly Cooper
2022
Ed Boon
Creative director of NetherRealm Studios
Co-creator of the Mortal Kombat series
Lifetime Achievement Awards
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given "for individuals whose accomplishments span a broad range of disciplines over a lengthy career in the industry".[25]
Pioneer Awards
The Pioneer Award is given "for individuals whose career spanning work has helped shape and define the interactive entertainment industry".[25]
Milestones
Games with multiple wins
The following games received six or more D.I.C.E. Awards:
References
^ "The Last of Us takes the big prize (and many others) at the Oscars of video games" . Digital Trends . February 7, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2021 .
^ "DICE Awards turn 20: How gaming's Academy Awards have grown" . VentureBeat . February 21, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2021 .
^ "Control nominated for eight "video game Oscars" D.I.C.E. Awards and five GDC Awards" . Remedy Entertainment . January 14, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2021 .
^ "D.I.C.E. Awards and Special Awards" . AIAS . Retrieved November 4, 2021 .
^ "21st Annual D.I.C.E. Peer Panelists" . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
^ Campbell, Colin (February 7, 2014). "The DICE Award winners, and why it matters" . Polygon . Retrieved January 11, 2020 .
^ Orland, Kyle (February 23, 2018). "Can gaming's own "academy awards" become a cultural event?" . Ars Technica . Retrieved January 11, 2020 .
^ "Fourth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards" . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved January 11, 2022 .
^ Crecente, Brian (February 19, 2016). "Fallout 4 named game of the year during DICE Awards" . Polygon . Retrieved February 3, 2017 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Makuch, Eddie; Imms, Jason (February 23, 2017). "Overwatch Wins DICE Game of the Year, Full Nominees List" . GameSpot . Retrieved February 23, 2017 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Plunkett, Luke (February 22, 2018). "Breath Of The Wild Wins Big At 2018 DICE Awards" . Kotaku . Retrieved February 23, 2018 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Shanley, Patrick (February 13, 2019). "D.I.C.E. Awards: Full Winners List" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 13, 2019 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Van Allen, Eric (February 13, 2020). "Untitled Goose Game Wins Top Bill at the 2020 D.I.C.E. Awards" . USGamer . Retrieved February 13, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Rousseau, Jeffrey (April 22, 2021). "Hades wins Game of the Year at DICE Awards 2021" . GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved April 22, 2021 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Shea, Brian (February 25, 2022). "It Takes Two Wins Game Of The Year At 2022 DICE Awards, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Takes Home Most Honors" . Game Informer . Retrieved February 25, 2022 .
^ a b "Did You Know? Nintendo Wins Two Interactive Achievement Awards" . Nintendo . Nintendo of America Inc. February 8, 2008. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2008 .
^ a b Craddock, David (January 25, 2017). "Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences introduces categories to honor VR games and experiences" . Shacknews . Retrieved January 26, 2017 .
^ Awarded Console Sports Simulation Game of the Year.
^ Awarded Console Action Sports Game of the Year.
^ a b 'Revenge' Tastes Sweet Reward Archived June 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine IGN.com (May 24, 1999). Retrieved on 2-13-11.
^ a b McWhertor, Michael (October 30, 2014). "Next year's DICE awards will honor innovation, 'big ideas and artistic risks' " . Polygon . Retrieved February 25, 2017 .
^ "Awards Category Details" . www.interactive.org . Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
^ a b Pereira, Chris (February 19, 2016). "The 2016 DICE Award Winners" . GameSpot . Retrieved February 24, 2017 .
^ AIAS Hall of Fame
^ a b "AIAS Special Awards" . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved February 24, 2017 .
^ "NINTENDO'S GENYO TAKEDA ANNOUNCED AS 2018 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT RECIPIENT BY THE ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS & SCIENCES" . Gamasutra (Press release). January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018 .
^ Kim, Matt (February 2, 2022). "Phil Spencer to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 25th Annual DICE Awards" . IGN . Retrieved February 3, 2022 .
^ Vincent, Brittany (November 26, 2018). "Smithsonian and AIAS Will Honor 'Spacewar!' Creators With Pioneer Awards" . Variety . Retrieved November 26, 2018 .