Summary
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, more commonly known asBAFTA, has been hosting annual awards shows for over fifty years. They were quick to recognize video games as media worthy of accolades and recognition and established the British Academy Game Awards in 2004. The show is held towards the beginning of the year to celebrate the previous year’s achievements in gaming, with the Game Awards celebrating 2023’s games on April 11th, 2024. Video games have come a long way in the last few decades, and the British Academy Game Awards have grown to celebrate achievements in gaming from all over the world.
There’s a plethora of categories that reward all aspects of gaming, from animation to narrative to music. One of the biggest categories of the awards show is the Game of the Year, which considers the best of the best in gaming each year and rewards one brilliant entry. It takes a lot of work and dedication to make any video game, but these winners have gone above and beyond by redefining the gaming landscape each year. After one of the best years in gaming history, and before the 2023 Game of the Year is announced, it’s a great time to celebrate the evolution of the industry by looking at every Game of the Year winner so far.
Released October 2003
Call of Duty (2003)
Call of Duty delivers the gritty realism and cinematic intensity of World War II’s epic battlefield moments like never before - through the eyes of citizen soldiers and unsung heroes from an alliance of countries who together helped shape the course of modern history.Play through the chaos of battle as part of a well-trained squad, that lays down covering fire and pulls its wounded to safety. In addition to authentic squad movements and tactics, each soldier’s distinct personality and training comes out on the battlefield. No one soldier or nation single-handedly won the war.For the first time, Call of Duty captures the war from multiple perspectives, through the eyes of American, British and Russian soldiers. Battle through 24 missions spanning 4 interconnected historical campaigns. Take on mission objectives ranging from sabotage and all-out assault to stealth, vehicle combat and rescue. Authentic weapons, locations, vehicles and sounds of war all contribute to the realism, immersing you in the most intense World War II experience yet.
The first-ever winner of BAFTA’s Game of the Year was the originalCall of Duty, which was an apt choice since the franchise has gone on to release dozens of games and sell millions of copies. BAFTA wasn’t the only awards show to name it Game of the Year, and across most reviewers, the game received numerous accolades.
Call of Dutywas hailed as redefining the genre of first-person shooters, bringing new life to both the genre and the WW2 setting. It’s clear thatdevelopers Infinity Wardhad created a distinct FPS from which to grow, and its impressive success since is evidence enough.
Half-Life 2is another highly celebrated title in gaming that has maintained its celebrated status well into the 2020s. At the second ever BAFTA Game Awards,Half-Life 2won six of the seven categories it was nominated for - and has overall won over thirty Game of the Year awards since its release.
The game was celebrated for its brilliant graphics andgenre-defining narrative. It was instrumental in the evolution of first-person shooter games, as well as computer gaming as a whole - executing it all with professional polish. Most gamers will claim that the title holds up just as well today as it did upon release.
The third ever BAFTA Game Awards named the tactical shooterTom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighterits Game of the Year. Released on multiple platforms, the Xbox 360 version is widely believed to be the best. It was nominated in eight categories, winning both Game of the Year and Best Technical Achievement.
Advanced Warfighterwas praised for its brilliant graphics and action scenes, as well as its advanced AI system, which gave the game more realistic stealth abilities than ever before. It was hailed as revolutionary in both technology and gameplay.
Unsurprisingly,BioShocktook home the fourth-ever BAFTA Game of the Year award. The 2007 first-person shooter not only had fantastic gameplay and graphics but genuinely challenged the constraints of its genre.BioShockis often cited as one of the best games ever made and was one of the earliest popular examples of video games as a legitimate art form.
Despite being a first-person shooter,BioShockintegrates elements typically only seen in RPG games, such as moral dilemmas and being able to choose how to encounter an enemy. These mechanics complement the challenging nature of the narrative, which incorporates political, philosophical, and moral themes. Over a decade after its release,BioShockcontinues to make waves in the gaming space.
Thanks to its November release date,Super Mario Galaxywas entered in the fifth annual BAFTA Game Awards celebrating games released from October 2007 to December 2008. Whether or not the game would have beatenBioShockhad it been released a bit earlier will forever be a mystery, but it did mark the very first BAFTA Game of the Year win for Nintendo.
Super Mario Galaxyis generally believed to be one of the best Nintendo games ever made, ranking incredibly high on sites such as Metacritic. Its biggest draw was its vivid art style and brilliant graphics, which made the world immersive and unlike anyMariogame released prior. It also introduced the fan-favorite character Rosalina, who was so popular she began toappear in otherMariogamesimmediately after her debut.
Batman: Arkham Asylummarked the first ever action-adventure genre game to win Game of the Year at the BAFTA Game Awards. The game was released on the cusp of superhero media, a year after the firstIron Manmovie, and is widely believed to be the best example of a comic-book-inspired video game.
Batman: Arkham Asylumwas praised for its dark atmosphere and narrative, portraying the grittier versions of Batman seen throughout both the comics and the shows. It was written by Paul Dini, a longtimeBatmanwriter who was deeply familiar with the character and environment of Arkham, and saw the return of iconicBatmanvoice actors Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin - proving that being loyal to the source material is often the right choice.
The seventh annual BAFTA Game Awards sawMass Effect 2be given the title of Game of the Year, beating the likes ofHeavy RainandAssassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. The action RPG is set in outer space during the 22nd century and added more mechanics typical of a shooter game.
Mass Effect 2’scharacters were a huge point of acclaim, all of them with more complex personalities and stories than the first game. The gameplay was also praised as much better than its predecessor, although it did stray further away from the RPG elements than many expected. Nonetheless, the game managed to be evocative, beautiful, and atmospheric.
Portal 2’swin at the eighth annual BAFTA Video Game Awards was the first for both puzzle and platformers. Valve’s iconic sequel to its already acclaimed original game saw the introduction of further characters and doubled down on the dark humor of the franchise.
The game is thought to have a fantastic learning curve for new players, and the gameplay perfectly accompanies the atmosphere created by the visuals and narrative.Portal 2also had a huge voice cast behind it, seeing Ellen McLain return as GLaDOS, as well as new characters voiced by Stephen Merchant and J.K. Simmons - along with music by Jonathon Coulton and The National.
Action-adventure gameDishonoredwon Game of the Year at the ninth BAFTA Game Awards celebrating the best in gaming from 2012. It was praised for its interactivity, which seemed to come at a time when critics felt the gaming landscape had grown a bit mindless.
Dishonored’sworld design was one of its most acclaimed components, along with the brilliance of the individual missions. The game also has one of the biggest voice casts in video game history, with critically acclaimed actors such as Carrie Fisher, Chloe Grace Moretz, Len Heady, and Susan Sarandon.
The Last of Usis easily one of the most talked about games of all time, and it’s no surprise that it walked away with Game of the Year. It beat out other iconic titles likeAssassin’s Creed: Black FlagandGrand Theft Auto 5, butthe emotional storyand evocative world design certainly set Naughty Dog’s action-adventure game apart from the others.
The Last of Usreceived universal acclaim from critics and fans alike, quickly being named one of the best games of all time. It breathed new life into both the horror and zombie genres, creating a fresh take on the apocalyptic future with unique dynamics and brutally honest portrayals of humanity, survival, and hope. The gameplay has great variety when it comes to taking down enemies, with a range of weapons and styles. The voice acting for the game has also been universally praised, with Ashley Johnson also taking home an award for her portrayal of Ellie.
