G.A.N.G. Awards Honor Dead Space, Afrika, LittleBigPlanet

Dead Space

Sound is absolutely crucial in any video game; it's no coincidence that some of the finest productions in history also feature some of the best sound presentations. This is why we were interested to see the list of winners from the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards.

For those of you who aren't aware, G.A.N.G. is a "non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of game audio," and this year marked the 7th annual G.A.N.G. Awards where they honored "outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in the world of interactive entertainment." Over 800 members in over 30 countries voted and the final ceremony was held in San Francisco at last week's Game Developers Conference. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to game composer agent Bob Rice, who has been a part of the music and record industry for over 50 years and has received 31 gold and platinum records in his illustrious career. He's been involved in game audio since the early '80s and he even helped design the "first officially licensed music industry video game" in Journey (1983). The list of games he has worked on since then is giant, and it includes well-known titles like Gears of War, Splinter Cell, Hitman, Mass Effect, Everquest II, Quake, Prince of Persia, and many more.

As for other prestigious awards, EA's Dead Space took home the coveted Audio of the Year prize while Afrika - available only in Asian territories at this time - received Music of the Year (okay, now we gotta play that game). Dead Space also picked up Sound Design of the Year, Grand Theft Auto IV won Best Dialogue, LittleBigPlanet was given Best Interactive Score, Best Use of Licensed Music went to Rock Band 2, and God of War: Chains of Olympus won Best Handheld Audio. Congrats to all the winners, and keep the excellent sound coming!

3/31/2009 Ben Dutka

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