SXSW Gaming Awards
The SXSW Gaming Awards are awards given to video games during the annual South by Southwest Festival (SXSW), held in Austin, Texas typically in March of that year. The Awards are part of the SXSW Gaming Expo which is part of the SXSW Interactive branch of the festival. History. Video games had been part of the SXSW within the SXSW Interactive branch; in 2006, the festival launched "Screenburn" as a special portion of the Interactive branch for video games, and later renamed this to SXSW Gaming in 2013. Matthew Crump, a veteran game developer, joined SXSW in  2012 and spearheaded the efforts to create the SXSW Gaming Awards to premiere during the 2014 festival. The new awards in fifteen different categories were announced in September 2013 to be awarded during the 2014 festival. However, Crump died from a heart attack just before the festival. The event organizers opted to rename the "Cultural Innovation in Gaming" to the "Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award" to honor Crump's contributions to the festival. Future years added additional award categories. Format. Developers and publishers must submit their games for consideration to the festival organizers prior to a deadline; these games generally  must have had public release in the preceding calendar year to the festival (for example, for the inaugural 2014 awards, games had to be released in 2013). The festival's organizers along with a panel of industry experts review all submissions and select the top five for each of the game categories. These are then opened to public voting for the final winner for each award to be chosen. The Gamer's Voice awards are exceptional to these: they are limited only to indie games released in the previous calendar year or the current year, and which any member of  the public may nominate. The festival organizers select multiple games (typically more than five) after playing through each as nominees for the award. These games are featured in playable form at the SXSW festival to allow attendees to try them before they vote for their favorite. The awards ceremony is held near the end of the SXSW event, with celebrity and gaming hosts presenting the awards. The 2020 SXSW event was cancelled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the award winners were still named online on March 24, 2020. Awards. Video Game of the Year. This award was named  Game of the Year in 2014, but was renamed when the Mobile and Tabletop awards were added. XR Game of the Year. Formally "VR Game of the Year" prior 2020 Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award. Awarded for a game that challenges the normal idea of video gaming, offering a culturally innovative view of the world Excellence in Animation, Art, and Visual Achievement. Combined the three former awards. Excellence in Game Design. Formerly "Excellence in Design and Direction" Excellence in Original Score. Formerly "Excellence in Musical Score" Excellence in Multiplayer. Formally "Best Multiplayer Game" until 2016 Retired awards. Excellence in Convergence . Awarded for a game that exemplifies crossover medium appeal. Formally the "Convergence Award" until 2016 Texas Arts Achievement. Awarded to a Texas-based studio or game Most Promising New Esports Game. Formerly "Esports Game of the Year" until 2019. Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game. Formerly "Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game" until 2018. Gamer's Voice Award. Award to an indie game voted by the public; split into Single and Multi-player categories in 2016.