AIAS announces nominees for 7th annual AIAA

[Spazmo]

Tags: BioWare; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

The <a href=http://www.interactive.org>Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences</a> has announced the nominees for this years <b>Annual Interactive Achievement Awards</b>, which are kinda like the Oscars for games. Here's the CRPG picks.
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<a href=http://www.swkotor.com>Knights of the Old Republic</a> for Game of the Year, PC Game of the Year, Innovation in PC Gaming, PC RPG, Game Design, Character or Story Development and Gameplay Engineering.
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The Star Wars RPG also picked up nominations in corresponding console categories. KotOR is the only CRPG that got nominated beyond the CRPG category, which includes:
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<blockquote>Deus Ex: Invisible War
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Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna
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Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide
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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
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The Temple of Elemental Evil</blockquote>
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Anyone care to venture a guess as to who will win the most awards? Check out all the nominees <a href=http://www.interactive.org/awards/IAA-7/finalist.asp>here</a>.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.bluesnews.com">Blue's News</a>

 

[Vault Dweller]

what was so innovative there? the setting?

 

[Anonymous]

Wow, AIAA has really gone downhill.

 

[Spazmo]

I'd like to know how a game with an interface as downright mediocre as KotOR gets Gameplay Engineering. Game Design baffles me too.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

I guess Innovation in PC Gaming = CONSOLE PORT.

These guys are idiots, BTW. I've made fun of them a few times since my tenure at Vault13.net. They've always done some of the most amazingly stupid shit.

 

[Transcendent One]

I can't believe how dumb some people have become. It's sickening.

 

[Nomad]

Hmmm...

You have to be a part of the entertainment software industry to become a member of the AIAS.

Here's the info: http://www.interactive.org/join/

That means these awards are the equivalent of the Oscars. That is, they're nominated and selected by members of the industry and do not necessarily reflect their consumer base.

As such, why do you even care what they say?


N.

 

[Spazmo]

Simple. If these are developers voting, that means that whatever wins is what developers think is the best thing. So if the developers think that X, which I really dislike, is good, then they might put elements of X into their game Y, which I want to be good.

 

[Volourn]

'Cause BIO sucks, and deserves no recognication except that they suck. You notice they have no problem with TOEE being amongst the nminees for "best rpg". maybe best dunegon crawler (if it's lucky) or ( brest rules implementation); but best rpg? I think.

I do agree whowever that KOTOR should NOT be nominated for innonvation (unless it's b/c they innovated a way to actually make a good SW game or complete vocie over for all characetrs; but PC) or game design, or game enginering.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Volourn: Keep in mind, these are the people who picked Dungeon Keeper over Fallout for Best RPG of the Year in their 1st Annual Awards thingy.

 

[Volourn]

Yeah, well, I never claimed I'd agree with them. I just don't think worrying about silly Awards ceremony is worth it. It won't change anyone's mind on what games they liked this year or not. For example if TOEE wins best "crpg" of the year; it won't make me like it any more or if KOTOR wins it won't make the one swho hate it like it more either. I don't worry about Reward Ceremonies. They are nice to read about; but ones' eprsonal likes and dislikes is hwat matters 9and, whetehr or not your fave devs make enough money to sr=tay in business of course).

Bottom line, if they feel Dungeon Keeper is better than Fallout; more power to them. I'd just have to disagree, and move on.

 

[Sol Invictus]

More... power... to them?

That's about one of the dumbest things you've ever said. Frankly speaking, I hate pacifism with a passion. What you just said, it's like saying "If a sociopathic killer feels compelled to kill someone, more power to him. I'd just have to disagree with what he's doing, and move on."

I realize that I just compared the AIAA with a sociopathic killer but what the AIAA is doing is more or less contributing to the death of complex, intelligent gaming. It encourages game developers to dumb down their work in favour of less intelligent pursuits like Dungeon Siege and KOTOR due to their mass market appeal.

So I ask, how different would it be if the Academy nominated "Jackass the Movie" or "Dumb and Dumberer" for Best Motion Picture?

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, after my review of the past rewards they havent gone downhill.

They've always been there.

 

[Volourn]

OMG Exitium. You said yourself. You actually comapred an awards cermeony to a serial. killer like it's even remotely the saem thing. I can guarantee you I would *not* ignore the serial killer. I think yiu are putting way too much importance of games.

How different would it be if the Academy would do that? Not much, really. I still wouldn't like either of those movies as I thought they sucked. The Academy has chosen many movies I disliked for awards so it isn't new. I (and many others) just move to watch the movies they want to watch and ignore the ones they don't. You give the Academy way too much credit.

Geez... Games, and movies arej ust *not* that improtant. What's funny is that comes from somone who plays a lot of games, and watches his share of movies.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Well, the AIAS might not influence you, but they influence the masses, giving them the wrong impression of the games. One thing is the name recognition a game will get just based on the company that developed it. The other is having actual developers vote for what they consider to be the best (and it boggles the mind as to how they can vote for those). The word of people in the industry is usually highly regarded, both from consumers to devs.

As for games not being important... :shock: Good luck with the can of worms you opened up :D

 

[Volourn]

Heh. You got that wrong. id din't say games weren't important; I said they weren't *that* important. Consdering how much I play and debate them; of course games are important to me. :D

As for the masses, most f e'm proabbly don't pay attention to that stuff as they most likely buy the agmes when they first come out anyways or as soon as they see soemthing that catches their fancy in the story.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Games, movies and other forms of entertainment (e.g. music) are the only things keeping this world together. Without them there wouldn't be any point to having luxury like big screen TVs, high definition stereos and state of the art gaming rigs. What would we live for? Turnips on a farm and a cow named Betsy with an illiterate housewife who cooks turnip stew for dinner every night?

Passive entertainment like this is what keeps us from falling apart and engaging in competitive bloodsport (e.g. roman gladiators, egyptian chariot races, mayan death soccer).

To say that it's not *that* important? Please. Try thinking of living in a world without games like this and you'll realize how bad it would be.

 

[Volourn]

Keep deluding yourself if you wish.

 

[Sol Invictus]

What the fuck kind of a response is that? If you have nothing better to say don't say anything at all.

You lose.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Life without video games?!?!!? OMGWTF!!!! The HORROR!!!! THE HORROR!!!!! :shock:

 

[Volourn]

Otaku: LOL, I agree in a way.

Exitoum: Youa re one to talk about about "out of line" responses. If YOU have nothing better to say other than "games are the only thing to live for" the don't say anything at all.

I may lose; but in this game you are the even bigger loser.

 

[Anonymous]

I take games seriously because they are my hobby.

 

[Nomad]

Games are my hobby, too; at that level, they are important to me, but I recognize that in the final analysis they are just entertainment. To assign any sort of intellectual weight or validity to ToEE or KotOR or Geneforge is to give them too much power. RPGs are not the last bastion keeping humanity from falling back into the pit of gladatorial entertainment - we're already there! Let's not forget about hockey, football, soccer, roller-derby, paint-ball or even reality-TV. Gladatorial games are a fact of life.

Let the AIAS make whatever awards they wish. Any developer that bases it's decisions on what and how to make a game solely on the results of these awards without taking into account the actual sales figures will not last long (unless it has money to burn).


N.

 

[Amerestatistic]

I don't think Exitium meant that "games are the only things worth living for..."

Rather, arts and entertainment are important to a good life, and games are art or entertainment (depending on who you ask) so why pretend they don't matter?

 

[slavemaster]

Waitta sec, I need to take off my naivete cap and put on my wild guess top hat. You know, the flamboyant one with the frilly pink feather sticking out of it. If you saw it, you'd be expecting Snoop Dogg to wear it.

I've never followed the AIAS awards, but if they're chosen by those in the game industry, doesn't that basically mean that few companies other than the likes of Vivendi, Microsoft, and EA, stand a chance?