Wii Sports, God of War 2 and The Burning Crusade are among the games to pick up awards at the Golden Joysticks
"Television used to be accused of corrupting the youth of today," the comedian David Mitchell told 750 representatives of the video game industry yesterday at the 25th Golden Joystick Awards. "Now you are."
In the 25 years since the first awards, Mitchell observed, computer games have gone from "being a few dots dancing around a TV screen to a full-on film that you are in."
As well as becoming more sophisticated, they are also now more lucrative. A major game, such as the recently launched Halo 3, can cost as much as $70 million to develop, but the possible rewards are vast. Halo 3 outstripped many blockbuster films in the week after launch, generating sales of $300 million.
Unlike the video game Baftas which took place earlier this week, the Golden Joysticks are voted for by members of the public. They chose to reward a wide range of games, with Wii Sports, God of War 2 and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, all picking up awards. The full list of winners is at the bottom of this page.
Among them was Tom Dowding, 25, who won £2,500 and a work placement with Electronic Arts, one of the world's biggest video game developers, for developing a game called Let it Grow. "You install it on your mobile phone," he said, "then using your phone camera you nurture it and make it grow. Then you post your growing flower on Facebook."
He has already licensed the game to a distributor, and hopes to be able to increase the size of his company's current workforce from two people by the end of the year.
Mobile phone games offer many budding developerd a way into a huge and growing market. Video games have quietly caught up with and overtaken traditional forms of entertainment such as film and popular music. According to the latest figures from Elspa, the industry body, UK game sales for the first half of 2007 were £519 million, 17 per cent up on the same period in 2006.
The launch of the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 last year resulted in a 42 per cent rise in sales of hardware and accessories, to more than £1 billion, and the market is still expanding.
The first generation of games players, teens who grew up hurling 10p pieces into Space Invaders arcade machines, are now in their 40s, and the high-end games they produce and continue to play are both technically sophisticated and, when done well, thought-provoking and challenging.
There are, thanks to pioneering work by Nintendo, even games designed for the late middle-aged and senior citizens. Market penetration in the company's home territory of Japan is now thought to have reached one in seven adults, many of whom use their games consoles for daily exercise routines, recipes or even gardening and fashion tips.
"What would the first Golden Joystick nominees make of the industry if they were here now?" Mitchell asked in his opening speech. "They expected space travel and robot slaves, but all we've got is better computer games." Quite.
Winners
The bliss Girls’ Choice Game of the Year 2007: Guitar Hero II (PS2/Xbox 360)
Plug a plastic guitar into your game console and follow the chord progressions from hit songs on screen.
The Sun Family Game of the Year 2007: Wii Sports (Wii)
Play baseball, tennis, ten-pin bowling and more using the motion-sensitive controllers of Nintendo’s best-selling Wii console. Requires large living room.
The Games Radar Handheld Game of the Year 2007: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PSP)
Build an empire of crime in a hellhole city of the near future. Some of the best graphics yet seen on a handheld console.
The 4Talent Mobile Game of the Year 2007: Final Fantasy Mobile (Mobile phone)
The Japanese developer Square-Enix brings its successful role-playing franchise to the mobile phone.
The T3 Innovation of the Year 2007: Nintendo Wii
The console that is still a sell-out success, a year after its release. Credited with making games-playing a family affair.
The BBC 1Xtra Soundtrack of the Year 2007: Guitar Hero II
A predictable win for the axe-wielding challenge title (see above).
The Nuts All-Nighter award 2007: Gears of War (PC/Xbox 360)
Do battle against an invading locust horde in this dense, action-packed shooting title.
The GameTribe Online Game of the Year 2007: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (online)
The online gaming phenomenon, given away free with the Times in March this year.
The Next-Gen.biz UK Developer of the Year 2007: Codemasters
One of the UK’s longest established and highly rated developers is recognised. Codemasters is responsible for some of Britian’s best-selling gaming franchises, including Micro Machines, Brian Lara Cricket and Colin McRae rally driving.
The Total Film One to Watch 2007: Assassin’s Creed (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)
One of the most hotly anticipated action games of the year, due out on November 16 – just in time for Christmas.
The Vivendi Retailer of the Year 2007: Game
Publisher of the Year 2007 – sponsored by Future: Nintendo
One of the oldest names in gaming has enjoyed an amazing resurgence in the past two years, thanks to its best-selling DS handheld console and Wii domestic console. One in seven Japanese people is now thought to own a DS.
Editor’s Choice Award 2007 – Gears of War
Official Nintendo Magazine’s Nintendo Game of the Year 2007: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
One of the earliest games for the Wii was this revival of one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. Zelda is a role-playing game for people who don’t like role-playing games. Well-paced, with an interesting storyline and brain-teasing puzzles to solve on the way.
Official Playstation Magazine’s PlayStation Game of the Year 2007: God of War II (PS2)
Greek mythology meets slashing swordplay as our hero Kratos takes his battle to the gods themselves.
The PC Gamer PC Game of the Year 2007: The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (online)
You’ve read the book, seen the film, worn the T-shirt, now play the game online.
The Sonopress Xbox Game of the Year 2007: Gears of War
The 02 Ultimate Game of the Year 2007: Gears of War