Games Design Awards nominations revealed

World-wide interest in event that celebrates design and rewards innovation

The nominations for Dundee’s inaugural Games Design Awards have been revealed.

The awards, launched by DC Thomson, aim to celebrate elements of design in games and reward innovation and design thinking within the context of game development.

As well as Scottish-based companies, there are nominations from around the world, including Indonesia, Canada, Russia and South Africa.

One of the judges, David Hamilton, executive vice-president of Dundee gaming company Ninja Kiwi, said it was “incredibly difficult” to pick the shortlist.

“As I said during the initial judging, the bar was set really high,” he said.

“The fact we had to go away and spend longer judging the games in our own time – I spent about another day playing them – shows just how high the standard was.

“A few hours in a room with dozens of games and only getting a brief shot was never going to be enough to fairly judge.

“Come next year, the standard will more than likely be even higher.

“I’ve seen it before with Dare to be Digital (Abertay’s design competition), which grew in standing year-on-year”

Included in the nominations are those from homegrown Dundee companies.

Among these, Skye by Puny Astronaut made the shortlist for six out of the seven categories while Ruffian Games’ multi-player shooter Fragmental was nominated for best gameplay design.

Fantasy-themed mobile game Castle Creeps by Outplay Entertainment made the list for best character design.

Red’s Kingdom by Cobra Mobile and Honeypot Espionage by Pocketsized Hands have also been nominated.

Fife-based Yarn Spinner made the cut for best experimental game with Causeway.

Mr Hamilton added: “There are some local nominations on the list too, which is great, although there wasn’t any bias of course – everyone on the list is there by merit.

“Along with all the others, the last award will also be announced on the night, the Game Design Hall of Fame, which will go to someone who has had a lasting impact on the gaming industry.”

The winners’ ceremony will take place at Dundee’s Duke’s Corner on September 7.

The competition is the latest to arrive in Dundee after various other events, such as the Global Games Jam, gained traction.