Last night saw the GAME British Academy Video Game Awards. A night filled with celebs and developers and lots of journos in a small sweaty media room!! For me the big winner of the night was Heavy Rain; scooping up 3 awards. Other highlights included a suprise (for me at least) win for EA’s Need For Speed Hot Pursuit, which beat of stiff competition from the likes of Call of Duty: Black Ops for best Multiplayer game.
In an interesting turn around, the only award that Call of Duty: Black Ops got was the GAME award. This was also the only award that was voted for by the public. So does this mean that the public perception of games and the industries perception of games are completely at odds? Let me know your thoughts. I must also congratulate Playdead Studios for getting LIMBO nominated for four awards on the night, including Best Game! Not bad for an Xbox Live Arcade game.
If you want to watch the awards for yourself, head over to the GAME British Academy Video Game Awards rerun.
So here are the winners, in order of appearance:
Action
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
Family
Kinect Sports
Technical Innovation
Heavy Rain
Social Network Game
My Empire
Use of Audio
Battlefield: Bad Company: 2
Handheld
Cut the Rope
GAME Award of 2010 (voted by public)
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Original Music
Heavy Rain
Strategy
Civilization V
Artistic Achievement
God of War III
BAFTA Ones To Watch Award with Dare to Be Digital
Twang!
Gameplay
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Sports
F1 2010
Multiplayer
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Story
Heavy Rain
Best Game
Mass Effect 2
Below is a transcript of my frantic tweeting through the night!!
yarstweet: And so we begin #bafta
yarstweet: Lots of noise coming from the main hall. All I need now is some food! #bafta
yarstweet: Duke nukem joke #bafta @daraobriain
yarstweet: Gemma Atkinson and Ben colins on stage for action award #bafta
yarstweet: Brotherhood gets it! #bafta
yarstweet: Next barney Harwood for family game. #bafta
yarstweet: And it is kinect sports! #bafta
yarstweet: Technical innovation winner is heavy rain. Get in! #bafta
yarstweet: Ok so social network game next. Should be good. Charlie Hawkins and himesh Patel presenting #bafta new category.
yarstweet: My empire gets it 🙂 #bafta
yarstweet: Distracted by Gemma Atkinson there. Next up use of audio presented by matt allwright and Jon hare #bafta
yarstweet: battlefield bad company 2. Very happy that’s got an award! Best use of audio #bafta
yarstweet: Bring on the award for handheld game. Presented by Delong Armitage #bafta
yarstweet: cut the rope. There you go then. Handheld game! #bafta
yarstweet: Game award time. Michael underwood and Martyn Gibb up to present #bafta
yarstweet: #bafta for game award 2010 goes to call of duty black ops. Mmmmm.
yarstweet: Next on the cards best music. #bafta Horus de man
yarstweet: #bafta for best music goes to heavy rain. Another great result for one of my favourite games ever!
yarstweet: @iainlee presenting #bafta strategy game
yarstweet: Tough to call. Civilization v. Good job! #bafta
yarstweet: Ok so we have jameela jamil and Nina kristensen presenting for artistic achievement. #bafta thinking limbo. But never know.
yarstweet: #bafta for artistic achievement goes to god of war iii didn’t see that coming!
yarstweet: Right tyger drew honey and Jonathan smith on stage for the #bafta one to watch
yarstweet: #bafta one to watch goes to twang that game studio!?
yarstweet: Gameplay award will be presented by Reece Ritchie and Andrew Oliver #bafta
yarstweet: Strong contenders with brotherhood and me2 and mario galaxy but Mario galaxy 2 gets it. #bafta
yarstweet: Sports being presented by Joe calzaghe. Gotta say fifa11 #bafta
yarstweet: And the #bafta goes to F1 2010 what a result! Awesome stuff.
yarstweet: Right. Next the call of duty award. Sorry multiplayer award. Presented by blue. Urm. #bafta
yarstweet: We have a winner. Need for speed hot pursuit. Well I never! #bafta
yarstweet: Story award now. Presented by Danny Wallace. #bafta
yarstweet: Hard call this. But #bafta for story goes to heavy rain. I am a happy man!!!
yarstweet: Now we have the biggy. Best game. @jasonbradbury up to present. #bafta
yarstweet: Here we go #bafta
yarstweet: Mass effect 2 very well done! #bafta for best game 🙂
yarstweet: Sir Ben Kingsley is coming on stage to present the #bafta fellowship
yarstweet: #bafta fellowship goes to peter molyneux well done. And that signals the end of the show. Thanks for following let me know your thoughts.