German computer game award
The German Computer Game Award ( DCP ) is an award for computer games from Germany.
The prize was first awarded on March 31, 2009. The award ceremony takes place in Munich and Berlin on an annual basis. The award, sponsored by the industry association game - Association of the German Games Industry together with the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), was endowed with a total of 590,000 euros in 2019, making it the most valuable award for digital games in Germany. culturally and educationally valuable “games, at least 80% of which were developed or manufactured in Germany.
For 2015, the German Computer Game Award was completely redesigned. In January 2015, the organizers of the DCP signed a multi-year funding agreement. In addition to the new categories, the criteria for the award were completely renewed. The DCP now comprises a total of 14 categories, including three international categories and, for the first time, an audience award. The new concept also emphasizes that fun plays a decisive role in games and is therefore also an award criterion. It was also decided to reappoint the main and specialist juries on February 27, 2015 and to increase the funds for the DCP from 250,000 euros in 2014 to 450,000 euros in 2017.
Offer of a reward
The German Computer Game Prize is jointly awarded by politics and business and was created by the federal government on the initiative of the Bundestag together with the industry associations BIU eV and GAME eV. The basis of the award is formed by the report of the BKM to the German Bundestag of October 24, 2007 (see BT-Drs. 16/7081) and the resolution of the German Bundestag of February 21, 2008 at the request of the parliamentary groups of the CDU / CSU and the SPD according to BT-Drs. 16/7116. The background was the growing importance of computer games in society regardless of age, gender and social origin, the increasing use of digital games and computer game software in sectors such as the high-tech industry or medical technology and thus the growing importance of computer games as an economic factor in Germany. The increasing acceptance of computer games as an art and cultural asset should also be taken into account with the introduction of the award. Until 2014, the prize was awarded by BIU and GAME together with the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media . In March 2014, responsibility for the German Computer Game Award was removed from the BKM area by the Federal Government and transferred to the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
The aim of the German Computer Game Award is to promote Germany as a business location in the area of developing digital games and interactive entertainment software. In particular, value is placed on innovative, culturally and educationally valuable games (concepts) in order to offer an incentive for the development of high-quality, appealing computer games in Germany and thus to increase the variety of such games in Germany. All computer games including other interactive entertainment software such as video, console, browser and mobile games that are predominantly, i. H. at least 80% or exclusively developed or manufactured in Germany. International games that have appeared in at least five countries can also be recognized in the international categories and the audience award. The games submitted must have been published in the previous calendar year or by June 30th in the DCP's award year. There is also a young talent award for schoolchildren or students in German schools and universities. The prize money is intended to promote the development of further high-quality, culturally and educationally valuable computer games in Germany.
public perception
After the award was presented in April 2019, the event received critical reviews in a number of media. Spiegel Online stated on the occasion of the moderation by Ina Müller that was “in places simply level” :
"The computer game award has always been too close to politics and too many moments of mutual shame to be taken seriously by gamers."
Golem.de summed up that the German Computer Game Award 2019 was an event at which "hardly anyone seemed to be really interested in games."
Petra Fröhlich , who is also a jury member of the DCP, criticized not only the moderation but also the staging and process in the industry magazine GamesWirtschaft. With a duration of 2.5 hours, the event “got out of hand”. "The prize money works [...] like compensation for pain and suffering".
Excellent games
Outstanding German game productions are honored in seven categories. The winners are selected for each category by a jury , with particular emphasis on educationally and culturally valuable content.
Prize winner 2009
At the 2009 awards ceremony, Das Schwarze Auge: Drakensang won the main prize “Best German Game”, endowed with 150,000 euros, and the “Best Youth Game” prize, endowed with 75,000 euros.
- Further award winners
- Best child's game: Fritz & Ready
- Best browser game: Ikariam
- Best Mobile Game: Crazy Machines
- Best "Serious Game": TechForce
- Best international game:
- Best student concept : Monkey's World Wide Jungle ( Elsa-Brändström-Gymnasium , Oberhausen )
- Best student concept: Snatch'em ( Berlin University of Technology and Economics )
Award winner 2010
In 2010, prices went for the "Best German Game" and "Best International Game" to the building game Anno 1404 (North American Title: Dawn of Discovery ). The award caused outrage in the German press, as the international version of this game, which was produced in Germany, called Dawn of Discovery , was also nominated as the “Best International Game”, contrary to the rules and regulations.
Some critics suspected that the favorite Uncharted 2 was ignored due to its USK -16 approval as well as the USK-18 title Dragon Age and the rules were deliberately ignored in order not to have to distinguish a violent game. The star criticized the "fraudulent labeling" as a sign that politics did not take the players seriously and the West described the event as "a farce".
- Further award winners
- Best children's game: Successful preschool learning - Capt'n Sharky
- Best youth game: The Whispered World
- Best browser game: Wewaii
- Best Mobile Game: Giana Sisters DS
- Best "Serious Game": ExperiMINTe
- Best International Game: Dawn of Discovery
- Best student concept: GooseGogs (Frederic Schimmelpfennig, Nikolaus-August-Otto-Schule, Bad Schwalbach)
- Best student concept: Night of Joeanne (Mediadesign Hochschule, Düsseldorf)
Award winner 2011
The winners were announced on March 30, 2011:
- Best German and at the same time best youth game: A New Beginning
- Best kid's game: The Kore Gang
- Best browser game: The Settlers Online
- Best Mobile Game: Galaxy on Fire 2
- Best "Serious Game": Energetika
- Best concept from the youth competition: Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers
Award winner 2012
The winners were announced on April 26, 2012:
- Best German game: Crysis 2
- Best youth game: Harvey's new eyes
- Best kid's game: The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
- Best browser game: Drakensang Online
- Best Mobile Game: The Crazy Labyrinth HD
- Best "Serious Game": The Missing Fish - The Mysterious World of Paintings
- Best concept from young talent competition: About Love, Hate and Other Ones
- Special price browser game: Trauma
- Special prize for the best young talent concept from school and student competition: Pan It!
Prize winner 2013
- Best German game: Chaos on Deponia
- Best youth game: Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers
- Best children's game: My 1st app - Volume 1 vehicles
- Best browser game: Forge of Empires
- Best Mobile Game: Word Wonders: The Tower of Babel
- Best "Serious Game": People on the run
- Best concept from the youth competition: GroundPlay
2014 award winners
The winners were announced on May 15, 2014 in Munich.
- Best German game: The Inner World
- Best youth game: Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians
- Best children's game: painting duel
- Best browser game: Anno Online
- Best mobile game: CLARC
- Best young talent concept: Schherdwerk - a fraction of an eternity
- Special Prize: The Day the Laughter Stopped
Award winner 2015
The winners were announced on April 21, 2015 in Berlin.
- Best German game: Lords of the Fallen ( Deck13 , CI Games SA)
- Best children's game: Fire ( Daedalic Entertainment )
- Best youth game: TRI: Of Friendship and Madness (Rat King Entertainment, Rising Star Games)
- Best young talent concept: In Between
- Best innovation: Game of Peace (Studio Fizbin, State Museum for Art and Culture Münster)
- Best production: Lords of the Fallen ( Deck13 , CI Games SA)
- Best Serious Game: Utopolis - Dawn of the Animals (Reality Twist, Nemetschek Foundation)
- Best Mobile Game: Rules! ( Marcel-André Casasola Merkle , The Coding Monkeys)
- Best game design: The Last Tinker: City of Colors (Mimimi Productions)
- Best International Game: This War of Mine (11bit Studios, Koch Media )
- Best International Multiplayer Game: Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft ( Blizzard Entertainment )
- Best international new game world: This War of Mine (11bit Studios, Koch Media )
- Audience Award: Dark Souls II ( From Software , Bandai Namco )
Award winner 2016
The winners were announced on April 7, 2016 in Munich.
- Best German game: Anno 2205 ( Blue Byte / Ubisoft )
- Best young talent concept: 1st Cubiverse (University: Mediadesign Hochschule München, Bavaria ), 2nd Lost Ember (University: HAW Hamburg , Mooneye Studios, Hamburg ), 3rd Leaves (University: TH Köln , North Rhine-Westphalia )
- Best children's game (two winners for the first time): Fiete Choice (Ahoiii Entertainment, Cologne ); Shift Happens (Klonk, Munich)
- Best youth game: One Button Travel (Agnes Lison & Marcel-André Casasola Merkle, The Coding Monkeys, Munich)
- Best innovation: The Climb ( Crytek , Frankfurt am Main )
- Best production: Typoman (Brainseed Factory, Headup Games, Bonn )
- Best serious game: Professor S. (LudInc, Berlin )
- Best mobile game: Path of War (Envision Entertainment, Nexon M, Ingelheim am Rhein )
- Best game design: Shift Happens (Klonk, Munich)
- Best International Game: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ( CD Projekt RED, Bandai Namco , Warsaw / Poland )
- Best international multiplayer game: Splatoon ( Nintendo , Kyōto / Japan )
- Best international new game world: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt RED, Bandai Namco, Warsaw / Poland)
- Special Jury Prize: Indie Arena Booth
- Audience Award: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt RED, Bandai Namco, Warsaw / Poland)
Award winner 2017
The winners were announced on April 26, 2017 in Berlin.
- Best German game: Portal Knights ( Keen Games / 505 Games)
- Best young talent concept: 1. DYO (University: HTW Berlin ), 2. Isometric Epilepsy (University: TH Köln , North Rhine-Westphalia ), 3. ViSP - Virtual Space Port (University: HTW Berlin )
- Best children's game: She Remembered Caterpillars (Jumpsuit Entertainment, Kassel / Ysbyrd Games, Brighton )
- Best youth game: Code 7 - Episode 0: Allocation (Goodwolf Studio, Bonn )
- Best innovation: VR Coaster Rides and Coastiality App (VR Coaster, Kaiserslautern )
- Best production: Robinson: The Journey ( Crytek , Frankfurt am Main )
- Best Serious Game (two winners): Debugger 3.16: Hack'n'Run (Spiderwork Games, Vechta ); Orwell (Osmotic Studios, Hamburg / Surprise Attack, Melbourne )
- Best mobile game: Glitchskier (Shelly Alon, Hamburg)
- Best game design: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (Mimimi Productions, Munich / Daedalic Entertainment , Hamburg)
- Best International Game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ( Nintendo , Kyōto / Japan )
- Best international multiplayer game: Overwatch ( Activision Blizzard , Santa Monica / United States )
- Best international new game world: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ( Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment , Santa Monica / United States)
- Special Jury Prize: Computer Games Museum Berlin
- Audience Award: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ( CD Projekt RED , Warsaw / Poland )
Mimimi Productions, the winners of the award for the best game design, declared that they did not want to accept it. They later gave on their Facebook page as reasons for this “inconsistencies in the main jury election process”, which led them to doubt that the prize had been awarded “correctly and fairly”. According to a press release by the Federal Association of the German Games Industry , votes were missing in some categories in the internal counting of the election; Since the abstentions and absences were not counted, their whereabouts could not be determined, which could be relevant in the case of tight results.
Prize winners 2018
The winners were announced on April 10, 2018 in Munich. The award ceremony was moderated by Barbara Schöneberger .
- Best German Game: Witch It ( Barrel Roll Games , Hamburg )
- Best children's game: Monkey Swag (Tiny Crocodile Studios / kunst-stoff, Berlin )
- Best youth game: Witch It (Barrel Roll Games, Hamburg)
- Best innovation: HUXLEY (Exit Adventures, Kaiserslautern )
- Best production: The Long Journey Home ( Daedalic Entertainment , Düsseldorf )
- Best Serious Game: Vocabicar (Quantum Frog, Oldenburg )
- Best mobile game: Card Thief (Arnold Rauers, Berlin)
- Best game design: TownsmenVR (Handy Games, Giebelstadt )
- Best International Game: Assassin's Creed Origins ( Ubisoft )
- Best international multiplayer game: Witch It (Barrel Roll Games, Hamburg)
- Best international game world: Horizon Zero Dawn ( Guerilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment )
- Young talent award with a concept: 1st Ernas Unheil (University: HTW Berlin ), 2nd Sunset Devils (School: Carl-Hofer-Schule , Karlsruhe ), 3rd nGlow (University: Hochschule Harz , Wernigerode )
- Young talent award with prototype: 1st Fading Skies (University: HAW Hamburg ), 2nd Realm of the Machines (University: Mediadesign Hochschule , Munich )
- Special Jury Prize: Friendly Fire (Charity Campaign)
- Audience Award: ELEX ( Piranha Bytes , Essen )
Prize winners 2019
The winners were announced on April 9, 2019 in Berlin. The award ceremony was moderated by Ina Müller .
- Best German game: Trüberbrook (Headup Games)
- Best Kid's Game: Laika (Mad About Pandas)
- Best youth game: Unforeseen Incidents ( Application Systems Heidelberg )
- Best innovation: Bcon - The Gaming Wearable ( CapLab )
- Best production: Trüberbrook (Headup Games)
- Best Serious Game: State of Mind (Daedalic Entertainment)
- Best mobile game: see / saw (Kamibox)
- Best game design: Tower Tag ( VR Nerds )
- Best International Game: God of War ( Sony Interactive Entertainment )
- Best international multiplayer game: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ( Nintendo )
- Best international game world: Red Dead Redemption 2 ( Rockstar Games )
- Young talent award with concept: Elizabeth ( HTW Berlin )
- Young talent award with prototype: A Juggler's Tale ( Film Academy Baden-Württemberg )
- Special Jury Prize: A Maze. / Berlin (International Games and Playful Media Festival)
- Audience Award: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales ( CD Projekt Red )
Prize winners 2020
The winners were announced via live stream on April 27, 2020 due to the corona pandemic . The award ceremony was moderated by Barbara Schöneberger .
- Best German Game: Anno 1800 (Ubisoft Mainz / Ubisoft)
- Best Family Game : Tilt Pack (Navel / Super.com)
- Best debut: The Longing (Studio Seufz / Application Systems Heidelberg)
- Best innovation and technology: Lonely Mountains: Downhill (Megagon Industries / Thunderful Publishing)
- Best game world and aesthetics: Sea of Solitude (Jo-Mei / Electronic Arts)
- Best game design: Anno 1800 (Ubisoft Mainz / Ubisoft)
- Best Serious Game: Through the Darkest of Times (Paintbucket Games / HandyGames)
- Best Mobile Game: Song of Bloom ( kamibox )
- Best expert game: Avorion (Boxelware)
- Best International Game: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Electronic Arts)
- Best International Multiplayer Game: Apex Legends (Electronic Arts)
- Best Studio: Yager Development (Berlin)
- Special Jury Prize: Foldit
- Audience Award: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Nintendos Switch (CD Projekt RED / Bandai Namco)
Prize winner 2021
The winners were announced via live stream on April 13, 2021 due to the corona pandemic . The award ceremony was moderated by Barbara Schöneberger and Uke Bosse .
- Best German game: Desperados III ( Mimimi Games / THQ Nordic )
- Best family game: El Hijo - A Wild West Tale (Honig Studios / Quantumfrog / HandyGames )
- Best debut: Dorfromantik (Toukana Interactive)
- Best prototype: Passing By (Hannah Kümmel, Jan Milosch, Marius Mühleck, Ilona Treml)
- Best innovation and technology: Holoride (Holoride)
- Best game world and aesthetics: Cloudpunk (ION Lands)
- Best game design: village romance (Toukana Interactive)
- Best Serious Game: Worlds of Materials ( Cologne Game Lab of the TH Köln )
- Best Mobile Game: Polarized! (Marcel-André Casasola Merkle / TheCodingMonkeys)
- Best Expert Game : Suzerain (Torpor Games / Fellow Traveler)
- Best International Game: The Last of Us Part II ( Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment )
- Best International Multiplayer Game: Animal Crossing: New Horizons ( Nintendo )
- Player of the year: Gnu (Jasmin K.)
- Best Studio: Mimimi Games ( Munich )
- Special Jury Prize: Indie Arena Booth Online 2020 (Super Crowd Entertainment)
criticism
Critics complain that, due to the restriction to educationally valuable games, only a small proportion of the titles on the market make it into the shortlist of the prize contenders. This precondition shows that computer games are not accepted as a medium for adults in Germany.
However, the preference for educationally valuable computer games is not clearly defined and over time has only been treated as one of several selection criteria. In 2012, for the first time, Crysis 2 , a first-person shooter that was not approved for young people, was named “Best German Game”. The award was again criticized by politicians from the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, who see the title as a " killer game ". The media policy spokesman for CDU / CSU Wolfgang Börnsen had already sharply condemned the nomination of the game: “The CDU / CSU parliamentary group dissociates itself from the decision of the independent jury to nominate a so-called shooting game in the category 'Best German Game'. We consider this nomination to be unacceptable. "According to Börnsen, the Union parliamentary group is ultimately even" open to a new appointment to the jury ".
In May 2014, the two video game journalists Andre Peschke and Heiko Klinge resigned from the jury in protest about a new regulation. The regulation should make it more difficult that video games are awarded with the age rating "No youth release " ( USK 18) by a 2/3 majority of supporters for such a game with only three votes against and the game from the original nomination category as the winner could be deleted.
The presentation of the award was also criticized. The gala for the 2019 prize was described as "attempts by politicians to present themselves and a moderator", which uses the "gamer cliché" and is characterized by the moderator's ignorance. Barbara Schöneberger's appearance in 2018 was already interspersed with old-fashioned jokes, but the 2019 moderation by Ina Müller was an absolute low.
Individual evidence
- ↑ BIU eV German Computer Game Award ( Memento of the original from March 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Realignment of the funding contract by the organizer of the German Computer Game Prize ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ BT-Drs. 16/7081 Agreement on the award of the German Computer Game Prize
- ↑ BT-Drs. 16/7116 Bundestag motion for the award of the German Computer Game Prize
- ↑ BIU & GAME: New responsibility for the German Computer Game Award offers an opportunity to modernize the content game-bundesverband.de, accessed on April 28, 2017.
- ↑ German Computer Game Award ( Memento of the original from February 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Markus Böhm: An industry humiliates itself , Spiegel Online, April 10, 2019. Accessed April 10, 2019.
- ↑ Peter Steinlechner: Trüberbrook is the best German game , Golem.de , April 9, 2019. Accessed April 10, 2019.
- ↑ Petra Fröhlich : German Computer Game Award 2019: No Respect for Nothing , gameswirtschaft.de , April 10, 2019. Accessed April 10, 2019.
- ↑ heise.de First German Computer Game Prize awarded
- ↑ Congratulations! These are the winners of the German Computer Game Award 2010 , website of the German Computer Game Award, accessed on April 28, 2017.
- ^ Zeit Online, viewed on May 4, 2010
- ^ Spiegel Online, viewed on May 4, 2010
- ↑ see on this computer game prize bypasses the question of violence , spiegel.de, February 23, 2011
- ↑ Stern online, viewed May 4, 2010
- ↑ The West, sighted May 4, 2010
- ↑ a b c German Computer Game Award - Winner , viewed on December 26, 2016
- ↑ And the award goes to ... The winners of the DCP 2015 , viewed on August 6, 2015
- ↑ The winners of the DCP 2016 , viewed on September 15, 2016
- ↑ The winners of the DCP 2017 , accessed on April 27, 2017
- ↑ Shadow Tactics: Developers reject German computer game award for best game design . buffed.de, accessed on April 28, 2017.
- ↑ Strong criticism of the German Computer Game Award: Not correct, not fair, unclean choice . heise.de, accessed on April 28.
- ↑ GAME press statement on the current situation at the DCP . Website of the Federal Association GAME, accessed on April 28, 2017.
- ↑ German Computer Games Award 2018: these are the best German computer games , accessed on April 11, 2018
- ↑ German computer game award "Trüberbrook" wins twice , accessed on May 4, 2020
- ↑ Deutscher Computerspielpres: Prize Winner , accessed on April 9, 2019
- ↑ Gameswirtschaft: German Computer Game Award 2019: Ina Müller moderates (update). In: GamesWirtschaft.de. January 28, 2019, accessed April 10, 2019 (German).
- ^ A b Markus Böhm: Computer Game Award - "Anno 1800" is the best German video game of the year. In: Spiegel.de. Spiegel online, April 27, 2020, accessed on April 28, 2020 .
- ↑ Big award ceremony in live stream: German computer game award honors the best games of the year. In: deutscher-computerspielpreis.de. April 13, 2021, accessed April 14, 2021 .
- ^ "Desperados III" wins the German Computer Game Award . In: Der Spiegel . April 13, 2021, accessed April 13, 2021 .
- ↑ [[BR-Online]], viewed on April 6, 2009 ( Memento from April 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung: That caught the eye. ( Memento of the original from April 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. "Harmless award winners and cowardly organizers: At the award ceremony of the first German computer game award, everyone shirked the necessary discussion about killer games." Mirjam Hauck, April 1, 2009; sighted on April 6, 2009.
- ↑ Embarrassing farce about the German Computer Game Award. , World Online . “The German Computer Game Prize wants to culturally ennoble electronic entertainment, but threatens to fail because of lobbyism and prejudice. Politicians and industry are at odds as to whether games are also for adults. It is strange that violence in electronic games is fundamentally rated differently than in the cinema. ”Thomas Lindemann, April 28, 2010; sighted on May 13, 2010.
- ↑ Crysis 2 is the best German game of 2012 , Golem, April 26, 2012. Accessed April 27, 2012.
- ↑ CDU / CSU criticize the nomination of the "killer game" Crysis 2 , Golem, April 25, 2012. Accessed April 25, 2012.
- ↑ Computer game award : Union faction criticizes "Killerspiel" nomination , spiegel.de, April 25, 2012. Retrieved on April 27, 2012.
- ↑ Why Andre Peschke and Heiko Klinge are ending their jury work , gamestar.de , May 13, 2014. Accessed on May 13, 2014
- ↑ Computer game award with Ina Müller: An industry humiliates itself , spiegel.de , April 10, 2019. Retrieved on April 28, 2020.