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The D.I.C.E. Awards (formerly the Interactive Achievement Awards) is an annual awards show in the video game industry, and commonly referred to as the video game equivalent of the Academy Awards.[1][2][3] The awards are arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and held during the AIAS' annual D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas. "D.I.C.E." is a backronym for "Design Innovate Communicate Entertain". The D.I.C.E. Awards recognizes games, individuals, and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.[4]
| D.I.C.E. Awards | |
|---|---|
| Current: 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | |
 | |
| Awarded for | Video game industry achievements |
| Venue | Aria Convention Center (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| Country | United States |
| Hosted by | Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |
| Formerly called | Interactive Achievement Awards (1998–2013) |
| First awarded | May 28, 1998 |
| Last awarded | February 15, 2024 |
| Website | https://www.interactive.org/ |
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The Academy encourages submissions from any individual or company providing that submission eligibility requirements are met. Each application enters the submitted game or title for consideration in at least one Craft category and only one Genre category. For most categories, the title must be publicly released in North America within the past calendar year. The exceptions to this rule are submissions for "Online Game of the Year" and "Fighting Game of the Year".[5]
The finalists in each category are selected by a peer panel, assembled by AIAS, of over 100 video game professionals across several facets of the industry, including developers, programmers, artists, and publishers, which is published on the AIAS website each year. The nominees are then voted on by the full membership of AIAS (over 33,000 members) via a confidential and secured voting system, and winners are subsequently announced during the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, typically in February of that year.[6][7][8]
Academy active Creative/Technical, Business, and Affiliate members are qualified to vote in all genre categories along with "Game of the Year", "Mobile Game of the Year", "Online Game of the Year", and "Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game". Creative/Technical members of the Academy may also vote on craft categories related to their expertise:[9]
- Game designers and producers vote for the categories of "Story", "Character", "Audio Design", "Game Direction", and "Game Design".
- Artists, animators, and programmers vote for the categories of "Animation", "Art Direction", "Character", and "Technical".
- Audio designers and musicians vote for the categories of "Audio Design", "Original Music Composition", and "Character".
Due to this approach, the D.I.C.E. Awards are considered the main peer-based recognition within the video games industry compared to other major awards.[10]
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Game of the Year Awards
Craft Awards
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
- Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Outstanding Technical Achievement
Genre Awards
Timeline of Genre awards categories. In red, discontinued, renamed or merged categories. In green, current ones (2023). First year of publication of awards indicated.
Discontinued, renamed, or merged categories
Game of the Year
- Console Game of the Year: 1998-2009
- Computer Game of the Year 1998-2009
- Innovation in Console Gaming 2001-2005
- Innovation in Computer Gaming 2001-2005
- Outstanding Innovation in Gaming: 2006-2015
- Handheld Game of the Year: 2007-2009, 2012-2018
- Portable Game of the Year: 2010-2011, 2019-2020
- Downloadable Game of the Year: 2012-2014
- Web Based Game of the Year: 2013
Craft Awards
- Outstanding Achievement in Art/Graphics: 1998-1999
- Outstanding Achievement in Sound and Music: 1998-1999
- Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering: 1998-1999
- Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering: 2000–2014
- Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering: 2000–2014
- Outstanding (Achievement in) Character Performance - Female: 2004–2007
- Outstanding (Achievement in) Character Performance - Male: 2004–2007
- Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack: 2004–2011
- Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay: 2005–2013
- Outstanding Achievement in Original Story: 2009–2010
- Outstanding Achievement in Adapted Story: 2009–2010
- Outstanding Achievement in Portable Game Design: 2010
- Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity: 2012-2013
Genre Awards
- Action/Adventure Game of the Year: 2006–2007
- Casual Game of the Year: 2009–2014
- Cellular/Mobile Game of the Year: 2006-2009
- Children's Game of the Year: 2006–2007
- Downloadable Game of the Year: 2004–2008
- First-Person Action Game of the Year: 2006–2007
- Handheld Game of the Year: 2001-2006
- Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year: 2000–2009
- Social Networking Game of the Year: 2010–2012
- Strategy Game of the Year: 1998–2007
- Simulation Game of the Year: 1998–2007
- Wireless Game of the Year: 2005
Console
- Console Action Game of the Year: 1998–2000
- Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year: 2001–2005
- Console Adventure Game of the Year: 1998–1999
- Console Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year: 2000
- Console Children's/Family Title of the Year: 2000
- Console Children's Title of the Year: 2002, 2004-2005
- Console Family Title/Game of the Year: 2001, 2004-2005
- Console First-Person Action Game of the Year: 2003–2005
- Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year: 2003-2005
- Console Role-Playing Game of the Year: 1998–1999, 2001–2005
- Console Sports Game of the Year: 1998–2003
- Console Action Sports Game of the Year: 2004-2005
- Console Sports Simulation Game of the Year: 2004–2005
Computer
- Computer Action Game of the Year: 1998–2000
- Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year: 2001–2005
- Computer Adventure Game of the Year: 1998–1999
- Computer Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year: 2000
- Computer Children's (Entertainment) Title of the Year: 1999-2000, 2002, 2005
- Computer Family Game of the Year: 1998–2001, 2004-2005
- Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year: 2003–2005
- Computer Role-Playing Game of the Year: 1998–1999, 2001–2005
- Computer Sports Game of the Year: 1998–2005
- Computer Creativity Title of the Year: 1998–2000
- Computer Edutainment Title of the Year: 1998
- Computer Skills Building Title of the Year: 1998
- Computer Educational Title of the Year (0-8 years): 1999
- Computer Educational Title of the Year (9-16 years): 1999
- Computer Educational Title of the Year: 2000, 2002
Online
- Online Action/Strategy Game of the Year: 1999
- Online Family/Board Game of the Year: 1999
- Online Role-Playing Game of the Year: 1999
- Entertainment Site of the Year: 1998–2000
- News/Information Site of the Year: 1998–2000
- Online Gameplay of the Year: 2001-2003
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Hall of Fame
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has annually inducted into its "Hall of Fame" video game developers that have made revolutionary and innovative achievements in the video game industry.[52]
Lifetime Achievement Awards
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given "for individuals whose accomplishments span a broad range of disciplines over a lengthy career in the industry".[54]
| Year | Person | Company/role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln | Former presidents of Nintendo of America |
| 2008 | Ken Kutaragi | Former Chairman/CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment and considered the "Father of the PlayStation" |
| 2010 | Doug Lowenstein | Launched and served as president of the Interactive Digital Software Association, which became the Entertainment Software Association |
| 2011 | Bing Gordon | Former Chief Creative Officer of Electronic Arts |
| 2016 | Satoru Iwata (posthumous) | Former president of Nintendo |
| 2018 | Genyo Takeda | Former General Manager of Nintendo Integrated Research & Development[55] |
| 2022 | Phil Spencer | CEO of Microsoft Gaming[56] |
| 2025 | Don James | Former Executive Vice-President of Nintendo of America. Heavily contributed to the creation of the ESRB and Interactive Digital Software Association, now known as the Entertainment Software Association, and its signature trade show, E3.[57][58] |
Pioneer Awards
The Pioneer Award is given "for individuals whose career spanning work has helped shape and define the interactive entertainment industry".[54]
| Year | Person | Company/role |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | David Crane | Founder of Activision |
| 2011 | Bill Budge | Developer of Raster Blaster and Pinball Construction Set |
| 2012 | Ed Logg | Co-developer of many arcade games including Asteroids, Centipede and Gauntlet |
| 2013 | Dave Lebling & Marc Blank | Co-founders of Infocom |
| 2014 | Eugene Jarvis | Developer of arcade games Defender and Robotron: 2084 |
| 2015 | Allan Alcorn | Developer of Pong and co-developed several Atari home consoles |
| Ralph H. Baer | Creator of the first home console, the Magnavox Odyssey |
Technical Impact Award
The Technical Impact Award was added for the 2015 awards ceremony to recognize "unique innovations that contribute to the ongoing progress of interactive media".[59]
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Apple App Store |
| 2016 | Visual Basic[60] |
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 | This section possibly contains original research. (April 2024) |
By game
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Most award-winning games: |
Most nominated games:
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By franchise
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Most award-winning franchises:
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Most nominated franchises:
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By developer
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Most award-winning developers:
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Most nominated developers:
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By publisher
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The most award-winning publishers:
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The most nominated publishers:
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- Held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- includes Half-Life 2: Episode Two sharing with Portal and Team Fortress 2 in The Orange Box compilation's win for "Computer Game of the Year" in 2008.
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