Special Hugo Award For Videogames

techno-vampire writes "Every year, the Hugo Awards are given out at the World Science Fiction Convention, and each year's convention is allowed one special category. This year's convention, LACon IV, has decided to honor The Year's Best Interactive Video Game. As the announcement explains, games have changed over the years. 'No longer the simple flickering photons of Pong or Asteroids, the improvement in computer chips has given games not only better graphics but the capability of more involving, fully developed stories.' The time may have come that they deserve such a honor, and this year's special award is a test, to find out if they're ready."

Comments

This should drive Gregory Benford insane

[Kelson]

After all, he walked out of the hugos over the rise of fantasy. Now video games? Bah!

Original and released in 2005

[Anm]

From the nomination form, the game must be original (not a remake of another story/game, or a port from a different platform) and it must have been released in 2005. I can't think of a single game that meets those criteria and deserves the right to be the first Hugo winner for video games.

That said, I also second the above opinion that sequential art deserves its own category first.

Anm

Re:Nominations?

[techno-vampire]

Only members of the convention can nominate or vote. That's what makes them so prestigious: they're awarded by the fans. Not the authors, or the publishers, or the retailers or the critics, but the people who actually buy and use the books, films, games etc. are deciding what's best. However, if you can't attend, you can buy a supporting membership, for less money. You get all the progress reports, the program, the handouts that the attending members get and voting rights, including the right to vote on where it's held. All you don't get is the right to attend, but if you can't anyway, who cares?