23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards results
We reported on the 2019 Game Awards results last December, but the Game Awards isn't the only annual awards show recognizing video games. The D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Awards have been running for twenty-three years now, and its awards were recently issued for this past year of games. The two awards shows had mostly the same nominees for the shared awards categories, but the winners differed quite a bit. Most notably, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice won the Game Awards' Game of the Year, while Untitled Goose Game won Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. Awards.
The Game Awards chooses its winners by way of a vote that blends public voting with the votes of a jury composed of eighty media and "influencer" outlets. The winners of the D.I.C.E. Awards, on the other hand, are determined solely by the votes of the 33,000+ members of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. The categories and nominees for the D.I.C.E. Awards are listed below, with the winners listed first.
The single game, without regard to system or delivery mechanism, voted by the membership of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences that best utilizes the chosen medium to entertain users.
- Untitled Goose Game
- Control
- Death Stranding
- Disco Elysium
- Outer Wilds
Awarded to a game that embodies the independent spirit of game creation, representing a higher degree of risk tolerance and advances our media with innovative gameplay and experiences.
- Untitled Goose Game
- A Short Hike
- Disco Elysium
- Sayonara Wild Hearts
- WHAT THE GOLF?
Presented to the individual or team whose work has furthered the interactive experience through the creation of a memorable character within an interactive title. Outstanding character takes into consideration the marriage of voice acting and performance (motion capture work), character design and execution, and writing.
- The Goose in Untitled Goose Game
- Jesse Faden in Control
- Cliff Unger in Death Stranding
- Sam Porter Bridges in Death Stranding
- Greez in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
This award will be presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in bringing a character or characters to life in an interactive title. This award will consider the fluidity of movement, and interaction with the environment in addition to contextual realism (look and feel).
- Luigi's Mansion 3
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Days Gone
- Death Stranding
- Devil May Cry 5
This award will be presented to the title that most effectively combines interactive and non-interactive elements to create a cohesive gameplay experience. Outstanding design is exemplified by balanced system design, cohesive mechanics that relate to overall aesthetic direction, level layout, challenge flow, progression elements, interface design, and social game mechanics. This award recognizes the Lead Designer or Design Director in architecting all elements into a unified design.
- Baba is You
- Disco Elysium
- Outer Wilds
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Slay The Spire
Presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in creating a unified audio experience. The quality of the individual sound effects, voice over, music, technology, and other audio elements will be considered in addition to the overall audio mix of the title.
- Death Stranding
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Resident Evil 2
- Sayonara Wild Hearts
This award celebrates the highest level of technical achievement through the combined attention to gameplay engineering and visual engineering. Elements honored include but are not limited to artificial intelligence, physics, engine mechanics, and visual rendering.
- Death Stranding
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Concrete Genie
- Control
- Metro Exodus
Presented to the individual or team whose work has furthered the interactive experience through the creation of a game world - whether an original creation, one adapted from previously existing material or an extension of an existing property which best exemplifies the coalescence of setting, characters and plot.
- Disco Elysium
- Control
- Outer Wilds
- Telling Lies
- The Outer Worlds
Presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in designing a unified graphic look for an interactive title.
- Control
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Concrete Genie
- Death Stranding
- Resident Evil 2
The individual or small group of individuals who are responsible for directing and driving an interactive game and its team through a combination of skills that include vision, management execution, aesthetics, and game craft. This award recognizes the role of the Creative Director, Design Director, or Lead Designer in guiding all elements of a title and shaping the final outcome of a game.
- Control
- A Short Hike
- Disco Elysium
- Outer Wilds
- Untitled Goose Game
Presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in original musical composition for an interactive title. Both the quality of the score and the integration of the score into the title will be considered when determining the recipient of this Award.
- Control
- Arise: A Simple Story
- Erica
- Golem
- Mortal Kombat 11
Action Games are titles that follow the gameplay from the perspective of the character that the player is controlling. These games feature heavy weapons use and/or involve characters engaged in combat while moving through a linear or open environment. The opponent can either be controlled by another player or by the game.
- Control
- Devil May Cry 5
- Gears 5
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Adventure games are those titles in which players are challenged with real-time action activities where timing, skill and accuracy are necessary to succeed. Puzzle-solving, resource management and exploration often drive the quest oriented narrative rather than primarily combat mechanics.
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Death Stranding
- Luigi's Mansion 3
- Resident Evil 2
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Family Game of the Year shall be awarded to the best title of any genre geared towards a shared, family gaming experience. The title's play dynamics must be suitable for a younger audience but can appeal to adults as well. These games often offer a mini-game component and encourage group play.
- Super Mario Maker 2
- A Short Hike
- DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS 2
- Ring Fit Adventure
- Yoshi's Crafted World
Fighting games are those titles that offer the user the virtual experience of controlling a character engaging in individual combat with another character usually from a fixed camera perspective. The opponent can either be controlled by another player or by the game.
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Dead or Alive 6
- Jump Force
- Samurai Shodown
Racing games are those titles that allow the user to participate in a contest in which the objective is to convey an object through a course of virtual physical progress as quickly as possible. Racing games may involve competition against other user-controlled competitors or against system controlled competitors. Racing games must simulate vehicular motion.
- Mario Kart Tour
- Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
- DiRT Rally 2.0
- F1 2019
- Trials Rising
This award honors a title, single-player or multi-player, where an individual assumes the role of one or more characters and develops those characters in terms of abilities, statistics, and/or traits as the game progresses. Gameplay involves exploring, acquiring resources, solving puzzles, and interacting with player or non-player characters in a persistent world. Through the player's actions, his/her virtual characters' statistics or traits demonstrably evolve throughout the game.
- The Outer Worlds
- Disco Elysium
- Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
- Kingdom Heart III
- Poki(C)mon Sword and Poki(C)mon Shield
Sports games offer the user the opportunity to virtually reproduce a sporting experience: either a realistic portrayal of an actual sport or games that reproduce for the user the experience of participating in an existing competitive sport.
- FIFA 20
- Madden NFL 20
- MLB The Show 19
- NBA 2k20
- NHL 20
Strategy games are defined to be those titles in which the user directs or manipulates resources to create a set of conditions that result in success as determined within the confines of the game. These games can offer the user the chance to simulate or to virtually reproduce an experience, real or imaginary, which would require some form of equipment. Strategy games emphasize the planning of tactics rather than the execution.
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Anno 1800
- Oxygen Not Included
- Slay The Spire
- Total War: Three Kingdoms
The Portable Game of the Year shall be the game developed for a portable platform that demonstrates the greatest achievement in overall game design, play and/or breakthrough in portable gaming. All genres of games are included.
- Sayonara Wild Hearts
- Call of Duty: Mobile
- GRINDSTONE
- Sky: Children of the Light
- WHAT THE GOLF?
This award will be presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in online game play in an interactive title. These titles frequently offer excellent matchmaking systems, innovative gameplay options including collaborative and competitive gameplay, user customization and fluidity of gameplay.
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
- TETRIS 99
- Wargroove
The single game released on an immersive reality platform that best utilizes the attributes of the platform to entertain users. Elements of design, direction and narrative are factored into the title selection. Titles of all genres are eligible if commercially available on a publicly released platform.
- Pistol Whip
- Asgard's Wrath
- Blood & Truth
- The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets
- Trover Saves the Universe
This award celebrates the highest level of technical achievement within an immersive reality experience through the combined attention to gameplay engineering and visual engineering. Elements honored include but are not limited to technology features specifically associated with the immersive medium, artificial intelligence, physics, engine mechanics, and visual rendering.
- Blood & Truth
- Asgard's Wrath
- Pistol Whip
- Stormland
- Westworld Awakening
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