Saturday, August 23, 2008

Hugo Award for graphic novels in 2009: are videogames next?

Atari 2600
ICV2 has just reported that graphic novels will soon be eligible for the prestigious Hugo Award. The notion does have to be ratified, but if it goes through, “‘Any science fiction or fantasy story told in graphic form appearing for the first time in the previous calendar year’ will be eligible.” It got me thinking - if graphic novels are enjoying literary legitimacy these days, could videogames be next?

We all have our favorite examples of which games we feel qualify as bona-fide works of art or pieces of literature. Just to rattle off a few, we’ve got BioShock, Shadow of the Colossus, newcomer Braid, etc. And a case could certainly be made for the satirical/meta stylings of titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV or Metal Gear Solid IV. Sure, these games are the cream of the crop, but so are any other “award-winning” works. And on the flip side, the average beach novel may not be a masterpiece, but it’s no less a cultural artifact than Homer’s Odyssey.

Alright, I may be getting ahead of myself here. But I do see the possibility of games breaking into the “mainstream” award space in the next few years. Mark my words.

Read [ICV2]

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