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Emotional Games Awards 2018

Next Awards in 2020

The Emotional Games Awards are held every two years. So the third edition will take place in 2020.

EGA Winners 2018

Discover all the winners of the 2018’s Emotional Games Awards edition in the winners section!

Nominees announced !

Here are the Emotional Games Awards Nominees !

Discover them all in the nominees section below !

News 2018

Next Awards in 2020

The Emotional Games Awards are held every two years. So the third edition will take place in 2020.

EGA Winners 2018

Discover all the winners of the 2018’s Emotional Games Awards edition in the winners section!

Nominees announced !

Here are the Emotional Games Awards Nominees !

Discover them all in the nominees section below !

About Emotional Games Awards

About us

Every day some of us cry while watching a movie or a series on TV, others while reading a book. Every day some of us will feel empathy for the tragedies in the world. But how many of us today would cry when faced with a tragedy that befalls a video game character?

It is because we believe that there is a different way for video games, more emotional, that we have created the Emotional Games Awards. Our hope is that tomorrow video games will cause more sympathy and passion, and not just fear, stress or shock.

Here in our scientific Lab we work closely with internationals Video Games Studios and companies to make this dream come true !

The Emotional Games Awards are the first ever awards given to video game companies and professionals in our industry to specifically reward the quality of the emotions produced in this medium. This is a fantastic opportunity to move the lines !

We hope you will join us for this wonderful adventure !

What is an Emotional Game?

It is always difficult to talk about emotions, most people say that they know what they are until you ask them to actually define them. Video games try one way or other to manipulate the emotions of the player, but all not emotions leave a permanent memory. Fear can be a strong emotion but it generally leaves few traces in the memories of the player; luckily so because when it does it’s became a pathology. However the emotions considered as being complex (sympathy, compassion) can leave us, for many years, with the memory of a movie or a book.
Animals seem to be able to feel certain emotions known as basic emotions: fear, joy , sadness, disgust, surprise or anger. These emotions considered by many specialists to be wonderful tools allowing species to adapt and survive in numerous situations. However only human bein have developed large fontal brain lobes permiting important social cognition, and sophisticated capacity for recognizing and dealing with the emotions of other people. Many medias produce these emotions, Video games do this less often producing frequently a caricature of this media.
There are already a lot of video games that produce everyday, all kinds of different emotions for the players, however we would like to highlight the work carried out by the studios that produce specific human emotions through this interactive media which is the video game.
If fear is the emotion that is the most frequently used by advertisers or totalitarian politicians, it is because it is quite easy to produce and usually creates submission . Like most people we enjoy the feeling of being scared in games and we assume this pleasure, however we also think that a video game in its interactive dimension should also be recognized for the quality of the complex emotions it produces.
Of course, there is no question of favoring only the games that make the players cry ! We will be analyzing as objectively as possible who are the authors and the studios that have tried the hardest to produce specific human emotions. The video game is partly defined by its interactive aspects, this is the particular notion that we wish to find in the productions that are going to be assessed. On the other hand, the emotions that request the most the distinctive features of the human brain like empathy and compassion will be favored.
There are already ceremony awards that highlight the emotions known as basic emotions which are produced by many video games and we can congratulate ourselves about this. We do not want to create a form of elitism, we just want to judge in the most objective way possible, the complex emotions produced by the video game industry. You said objective ? As objective as possible as one can be when judging the quality of a movie, a book or a video game…
In video games the complexity and the quality of the emotions that we feel, more or less set our memories . You can be frightened twenty times by an alien, lost alone in space and not even keep any memories of this three months after playing this game on your favorite console. But you will never forget the sadness you felt and the context of the day where in a video game, your friend, or your pet disappeared, or the joy you felt when you finally found him alive. Many scientific researches show how the emotional feeling of the players influences the quality of the immersion and the feeling of presence in the video games. It is to this end, to improve, to question and also to highlight emotional experiences of quality, that we humbly give out these awards
At a time when video game is unfortunately still associated with violence and the worst atrocities, it is good to remember that the video game is also known to be the best of humanity and to promote it.

Dr. Erik GESLIN — Emotional Games Awards founder.

About Emotional Games Awards

About us

Every day some of us cry while watching a movie or a series on TV, others while reading a book. Every day some of us will feel empathy for the tragedies in the world. But how many of us today would cry when faced with a tragedy that befalls a video game character?

It is because we believe that there is a different way for video games, more emotional, that we have created the Emotional Games Awards. Our hope is that tomorrow video games will cause more sympathy and passion, and not just fear, stress or shock.

Here in our scientific Lab we work closely with internationals Video Games Studios and companies to make this dream come true !

The Emotional Games Awards are the first ever awards given to video game companies and professionals in our industry to specifically reward the quality of the emotions produced in this medium. This is a fantastic opportunity to move the lines !

We hope you will join us for this wonderful adventure !

What is an Emotional Game?

It is always difficult to talk about emotions, most people say that they know what they are until you ask them to actually define them. Video games try one way or other to manipulate the emotions of the player, but all not emotions leave a permanent memory. Fear can be a strong emotion but it generally leaves few traces in the memories of the player; luckily so because when it does it’s became a pathology. However the emotions considered as being complex (sympathy, compassion) can leave us, for many years, with the memory of a movie or a book.
Animals seem to be able to feel certain emotions known as basic emotions: fear, joy , sadness, disgust, surprise or anger. These emotions considered by many specialists to be wonderful tools allowing species to adapt and survive in numerous situations. However only human bein have developed large fontal brain lobes permiting important social cognition, and sophisticated capacity for recognizing and dealing with the emotions of other people. Many medias produce these emotions, Video games do this less often producing frequently a caricature of this media.
There are already a lot of video games that produce everyday, all kinds of different emotions for the players, however we would like to highlight the work carried out by the studios that produce specific human emotions through this interactive media which is the video game.
If fear is the emotion that is the most frequently used by advertisers or totalitarian politicians, it is because it is quite easy to produce and usually creates submission . Like most people we enjoy the feeling of being scared in games and we assume this pleasure, however we also think that a video game in its interactive dimension should also be recognized for the quality of the complex emotions it produces.
Of course, there is no question of favoring only the games that make the players cry ! We will be analyzing as objectively as possible who are the authors and the studios that have tried the hardest to produce specific human emotions. The video game is partly defined by its interactive aspects, this is the particular notion that we wish to find in the productions that are going to be assessed. On the other hand, the emotions that request the most the distinctive features of the human brain like empathy and compassion will be favored.
There are already ceremony awards that highlight the emotions known as basic emotions which are produced by many video games and we can congratulate ourselves about this. We do not want to create a form of elitism, we just want to judge in the most objective way possible, the complex emotions produced by the video game industry. You said objective ? As objective as possible as one can be when judging the quality of a movie, a book or a video game…
In video games the complexity and the quality of the emotions that we feel, more or less set our memories . You can be frightened twenty times by an alien, lost alone in space and not even keep any memories of this three months after playing this game on your favorite console. But you will never forget the sadness you felt and the context of the day where in a video game, your friend, or your pet disappeared, or the joy you felt when you finally found him alive. Many scientific researches show how the emotional feeling of the players influences the quality of the immersion and the feeling of presence in the video games. It is to this end, to improve, to question and also to highlight emotional experiences of quality, that we humbly give out these awards
At a time when video game is unfortunately still associated with violence and the worst atrocities, it is good to remember that the video game is also known to be the best of humanity and to promote it.

Dr. Erik GESLIN — Emotional Games Awards founder.

Jury 2018 >>>

  • Wael Amr

    Wael Amr founded Frogwares in 2000, an independent video game development studio based in Ukraine. Its first adventure game was released in 2002 : Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy. The first in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series.

  • Mark Cecere

    Mark Cecere has over 15 years of experience in the video game industry in Canada. After a BA from Concordia University, he has worked for 8 years at Eidos and for 12 years as a freelance game designer. He joined Warner Bros Games Montreal as Narrative Designer and Game Writer in 2016.

  • Laura Glibert

    Laura Glibert has a master degree in cognitive psychology. She was part of the Research & Development team at Ubisoft UR Lab. She has worked on many games ( Assassin's Creed Origins, Far Cry 5, The Crew 2,Tom Clancy's). She’s now Game user researcher at Sony Playstation in London.

  • Damien Mayance

    Damien Mayance is a French indie game and software developer. He is also the co-founder of Pixelnest Studio in 2013, where he created Steredenn and numerous other projects.

  • Swann Pichon

    Swann Pichon is a scientific investigator at the University of Geneva. His research is to understand how emotional states and personality traits contribute to affective functioning. He is also working on adapting the technology of video-games for training specific brain functions.

  • Jehanne Rousseau

    As a graphic designer, but also producer, Jehanne Rousseau has worked for 17 years in the video game industry. In 2008, she is the co-founder of Spiders, an independent video game development studio producing its own creations (The technomancer, Greedfall) as well as offering full productions for third parties.

  • Mathieu Triclot

    Mathieu Triclot is a french philosopher, specialised in history of science and technology. He develops his reflection on video games, with his book Philosophy of video games. He is a lecturer at the Belfort-Montbéliard University of Technology.

Jury 2018

  • Wael Amr

    Wael Amr founded Frogwares in 2000, an independent video game development studio based in Ukraine. Its first adventure game was released in 2002 : Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy. The first in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series.

  • Mark Cecere

    Mark Cecere has over 15 years of experience in the video game industry in Canada. After a BA from Concordia University, he has worked for 8 years at Eidos and for 12 years as a freelance game designer. He joined Warner Bros Games Montreal as Narrative Designer and Game Writer in 2016.

  • Laura Glibert

    Laura Glibert has a master degree in cognitive psychology. She was part of the Research & Development team at Ubisoft UR Lab. She has worked on many games ( Assassin's Creed Origins, Far Cry 5, The Crew 2,Tom Clancy's). She’s now Game user researcher at Sony Playstation in London.

  • Damien Mayance

    Damien Mayance is a French indie game and software developer. He is also the co-founder of Pixelnest Studio in 2013, where he created Steredenn and numerous other projects.

  • Swann Pichon

    Swann Pichon is a scientific investigator at the University of Geneva. His research is to understand how emotional states and personality traits contribute to affective functioning. He is also working on adapting the technology of video-games for training specific brain functions.

  • Jehanne Rousseau

    As a graphic designer, but also producer, Jehanne Rousseau has worked for 17 years in the video game industry. In 2008, she is the co-founder of Spiders, an independent video game development studio producing its own creations (The technomancer, Greedfall) as well as offering full productions for third parties.

  • Mathieu Triclot

    Mathieu Triclot is a french philosopher, specialised in history of science and technology. He develops his reflection on video games, with his book Philosophy of video games. He is a lecturer at the Belfort-Montbéliard University of Technology.

Nominated 2018 >>>

  • Best Emotional Game Nominees

    • Abzû (Giant Squid-505 Games)
    • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory Ltd.)
    • Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla-Sony Interactive Entertainment)
    • Inside (Playdead)
    • Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Deck Nine Games-Square Enix)
    • The First Tree (David Wehle)
    Abzû ((Giant Squid-505 Games) Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory Ltd.) Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla-Sony Interactive Entertainment) Inside (Playdead) Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Deck Nine Games-Square Enix) The First Tree (David Wehle)

  • Best Emotional Artistic Achievement Nominees

    • A.L.F.R.E.D (ISART Digital)
    • Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla-Sony Interactive Entertainment)
    • Inside (Playdead)
    • Last Day of June (Ovosonico-505 Games)
    • Old Man's Journey (Broken Rules)
    • Robinson : the Journey (Crytek)
    A.L.F.R.E.D (ISART Digital) Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla-Sony Interactive Entertainment) Inside (Playdead) Last Day of June (Ovosonico-505 Games) Old Man's Journey (Broken Rules) Robinson: the Journey (Crytek)

  • Best Emotional Game Design Nominees

    • Abzû (Giant Squid-505 Games)
    • Cultist Simulator (Weather Factory)
    • Dee Zaster on Monster Island (Glance Creative Ltd.-Prime Apps Ltd.)
    • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory Ltd.)
    • Inside Playdead
    • Pyre (Supergiant Games)
    Abzû (Giant Squid-505 Games) Cultist Simulator (Weather Factory) Dee Zaster on Monster Island (Glance Creative Ltd.-Prime Apps Ltd.) Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory Ltd.) Inside (Playdead) Pyre (Supergiant Games)

  • Best Emotional VR Game Nominees

    • Lone Echo (Ready at Dawn-Oculus)
    • Robinson : the Journey (Crytek)
    • Statik (Tarsier Studios)
    Lone Echo (Ready at Dawn-Oculus) Robinson : the Journey (Crytek) Statik (Tarsier Studios)

  • Best Emotional Mobile & Handheld

    • Ana the game (Almost Games Studio-Plug in digital)
    • Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story (Accidental Queens -Playdius)
    • Bury me, my love (The Pixel Hunt / Arte / Figs / Playdius)
    • Is it Love? Mystery Spell - Peter (1492 Studio)
    • Old Man's Journey (Broken Rules)
    • Save me Mr Tako: Tasukete Tako-San! (Christophe Galati-Nicalis)
    Ana the game (Almost Games Studio-Plug in digital) Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story ((Accidental Queens-Playdius) Bury me, my love (The Pixel Hunt / Arte / Figs / Playdius) Is it Love? Mystery Spell - Peter (1492 studio) Old Man's Journey (Broken rules) Save me Mr Tako: Tasukete Tako-San! (Christophe Galati-Nicalis)

  • Best Emotional Music Nominees

    • Far from noise (George Batchelor-Music by Geoff Lentin)
    • Inside (Playdead - Music by Martin Stig Andersen and SØS Gunver Ryberg)
    • Little nightmares (Tarsier Studios-Namco Bandai Entertainement Europe)
    • Perception (The Deep End Games)
    • Spike: Under the Leaves (ISART Digital)
    • The first Tree (David Wehle - Music by Josh Kramer)
    Far from noise (George Batchelor) Inside (Playdead) Little nightmares (Tarsier Studios-Namco Bandai Entertainement Europe) Perception (The Deep End Games) Spike: Under the Leaves (ISART Digital) The First Tree (David Wehle)

  • Best Emotional Indie Game Nominees

    • Another Lost Phone : Laura's Story (Accidental Queens-Playdius)
    • Along the edge (Nova-box)
    • Far from noise (George Batchelor)
    • Epistory - Typing Chronicles (Fishing Cactus)
    • _observer_ (Bloober Team)
    • Perception (The Deep End Games)
    • Past Cure (Phantom 8)
    Another Lost Phone (Accidental Queens-Playdius) Along the edge (Nova-box) Epistory - Typing Chronicles (Fishing Cactus) Far from noise (George Batchelor) _observer_ (Bloober Team) Perception (The Deep End Games) Past Cure (Phantom 8)

Nominated 2018

  • Best Emotional Game Nominees

    • Abzû (Giant Squid-505 Games)
    • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory Ltd.)
    • Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla-Sony Interactive Entertainment)
    • Inside (Playdead)
    • Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Deck Nine Games-Square Enix)
    • The First Tree (David Wehle)
    Abzû ((Giant Squid-505 Games) Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory Ltd.) Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla-Sony Interactive Entertainment) Inside (Playdead) Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Deck Nine Games-Square Enix) The First Tree (David Wehle)

  • Best Emotional Artistic Achievement Nominees

    • A.L.F.R.E.D (ISART Digital)
    • Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla-Sony Interactive Entertainment)
    • Inside (Playdead)
    • Last Day of June (Ovosonico-505 Games)
    • Old Man's Journey (Broken Rules)
    • Robinson : the Journey (Crytek)
    A.L.F.R.E.D (ISART Digital) Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla-Sony Interactive Entertainment) Inside (Playdead) Last Day of June (Ovosonico-505 Games) Old Man's Journey (Broken Rules) Robinson: the Journey (Crytek)

  • Best Emotional Game Design Nominees

    • Abzû (Giant Squid-505 Games)
    • Cultist Simulator (Weather Factory)
    • Dee Zaster on Monster Island (Glance Creative Ltd.-Prime Apps Ltd.)
    • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory Ltd.)
    • Inside Playdead
    • Pyre (Supergiant Games)
    Abzû (Giant Squid-505 Games) Cultist Simulator (Weather Factory) Dee Zaster on Monster Island (Glance Creative Ltd.-Prime Apps Ltd.) Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory Ltd.) Inside (Playdead) Pyre (Supergiant Games)

  • Best Emotional VR Game Nominees

    • Lone Echo (Ready at Dawn-Oculus)
    • Robinson : the Journey (Crytek)
    • Statik (Tarsier Studios)
    Lone Echo (Ready at Dawn-Oculus) Robinson : the Journey (Crytek) Statik (Tarsier Studios)

  • Best Emotional Mobile & Handheld

    • Ana the game (Almost Games Studio-Plug in digital)
    • Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story (Accidental Queens -Playdius)
    • Bury me, my love (The Pixel Hunt / Arte / Figs / Playdius)
    • Is it Love? Mystery Spell - Peter (1492 Studio)
    • Old Man's Journey (Broken Rules)
    • Save me Mr Tako: Tasukete Tako-San! (Christophe Galati-Nicalis)
    Ana the game (Almost Games Studio-Plug in digital) Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story ((Accidental Queens-Playdius) Bury me, my love (The Pixel Hunt / Arte / Figs / Playdius) Is it Love? Mystery Spell - Peter (1492 studio) Old Man's Journey (Broken rules) Save me Mr Tako: Tasukete Tako-San! (Christophe Galati-Nicalis)

  • Best Emotional Music Nominees

    • Far from noise (George Batchelor-Music by Geoff Lentin)
    • Inside (Playdead - Music by Martin Stig Andersen and SØS Gunver Ryberg)
    • Little nightmares (Tarsier Studios-Namco Bandai Entertainement Europe)
    • Perception (The Deep End Games)
    • Spike: Under the Leaves (ISART Digital)
    • The first Tree (David Wehle - Music by Josh Kramer)
    Far from noise (George Batchelor) Inside (Playdead) Little nightmares (Tarsier Studios-Namco Bandai Entertainement Europe) Perception (The Deep End Games) Spike: Under the Leaves (ISART Digital) The First Tree (David Wehle)

  • Best Emotional Indie Game Nominees

    • Another Lost Phone : Laura's Story (Accidental Queens-Playdius)
    • Along the edge (Nova-box)
    • Far from noise (George Batchelor)
    • Epistory - Typing Chronicles (Fishing Cactus)
    • _observer_ (Bloober Team)
    • Perception (The Deep End Games)
    • Past Cure (Phantom 8)
    Another Lost Phone (Accidental Queens-Playdius) Along the edge (Nova-box) Epistory - Typing Chronicles (Fishing Cactus) Far from noise (George Batchelor) _observer_ (Bloober Team) Perception (The Deep End Games) Past Cure (Phantom 8)

Winners 2018 >>>

  • Best Emotional Game

    Hellblade : Senua's Sacrifice Ninja Theory
    Hellblade : Senua's Sacrifice | Best Emotional Game 2018 Hellblade : Senua's Sacrifice | Best Emotional Game 2018 Hellblade : Senua's Sacrifice | Best Emotional Game 2018

  • Best Emotional Artistic Game Achievement

    Old Man's Journey Broken Rules
    Old Man's Journey | Best Emotional Artistic Game Achievement 2018 Old Man's Journey | Best Emotional Artistic Game Achievement 2018 Old Man's Journey | Best Emotional Artistic Game Achievement 2018 Old Man's Journey | Best Emotional Artistic Game Achievement 2018

  • Best Emotional Game Design

    Cultist Simulator Weather Factory
    Cultist Simulator | Best Emotional Game Design 2018 Cultist Simulator | Best Emotional Game Design 2018

  • Best Emotional Music

    Inside Music by Martin Stig Andersen and SØS Gunver Ryberg
    Inside | Best Emotional Music 2018 Inside | Best Emotional Music 2018

  • Best Emotional Indie Game

    Observer Bloober Team
    Observer | Best Emotional Indie Game 2018 Observer | Best Emotional Indie Game 2018 Observer | Best Emotional Indie Game 2018

  • Best Emotional VR Game

    Lone Echo Ready At Dawn
    Lone Echo | Best Emotional VR Game 2018 Lone Echo | Best Emotional VR Game 2018 Lone Echo | Best Emotional VR Game 2018

  • Best Emotional Mobile & Handheld

    Bury me, my love The Pixel Hunt, Figs
    Bury me, my love | Best Emotional Mobile & Handheld 2018 Bury me, my love | Best Emotional Mobile & Handheld 2018 Bury me, my love | Best Emotional Mobile & Handheld 2018

  • Audience Choice

    Is it Love ? Mystery Spell - Peter 1492 Studios
    Is it Love ?

Winners 2018

  • Best Emotional Game

    Hellblade : Senua's Sacrifice Ninja Theory

  • Best Emotional Artistic Game Achievement

    Old Man's Journey Broken Rules

  • Best Emotional Game Design

    Cultist Simulator Weather Factory
    Best Emotional Game Design

  • Best Emotional Music

    Inside Music by Martin Stig Andersen and SØS Gunver Ryberg
    Best Emotional Music

  • Best Emotional Indie Game

    Observer Bloober Team

  • Best Emotional VR Game

    Lone Echo Ready At Dawn

  • Best Emotional Mobile & Handheld

    Bury me, my love The Pixel Hunt, Figs

  • Audience Choice

    Is it Love ? Mystery Spell - Peter 1492 Studios
    Audience Choice

Practical Informations

Timetable

Wednesday 29 November 2017 — Entry site opens – http://emotionalGamesAwards.com

Wednesday 31 January 2018 — Entry and payment deadline (23.59 CET)

Wednesday 7 February 2018 — Nominations announced

Friday 9 February 2018 — Online voting starts (12:00)

Friday 23 February 2018 — Online voting closes (12:00)

Friday 2 March 2018 — Emotional Games Awards (8.30 pm)

The ceremony will take place at “La Fabrique” ( 10 Rue de la Chambrouillere, 53960 Bonchamp-lès-Laval). Doors open at 8pm.

If you want to attend the ceremony, registration will open in a few days online. Stay tuned !

 

Practical Informations

Timetable

Wednesday 29 November 2017 — Entry site opens – http://emotionalGamesAwards.com

Wednesday 31 January 2018 — Entry and payment deadline (23.59 CET)

Wednesday 7 February 2018 — Nominations announced

Friday 9 February 2018 — Online voting starts (12:00)

Friday 23 February 2018 — Online voting closes (12:00)

Friday 2 March 2018 — Emotional Games Awards (8.30 pm)

The ceremony will take place at “La Fabrique” ( 10 Rue de la Chambrouillere, 53960 Bonchamp-lès-Laval). Doors open at 8pm.

If you want to attend the ceremony, registration will open in a few days online. Stay tuned !

 

Erik Geslin
Emotional Games Awards Founder
erik.geslin@emotionalgamesawards.com
Clelia Motte
Head of Communication and sponsorship
clelia.motte@emotionalgamesawards.com