Each year, The Game Awards celebrates and recognizes the absolute best in desktop/console, mobile, and Esports gaming. The absolute highest honour in the $217B global game industry, these awards are truly the “Oscars for gaming” (Washington Post) and the “game industry’s Superbowl” (The Hollywood Reporter) and includes awards for Direction, Narrative, Performance, Audio, Impact, VR/AR, Indie, Family, and more.
This year saw Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and many other memorable games scoop up nominations & wins, with Alan Wake notably winning Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, & Best Art Direction, and Baldur’s Gate 3 sweeping the awards & taking home the grand prize: Game of the Year.
The dust has officially settled after this year’s ceremony, and while we’re still doing some number-crunching we’re pleased to report that (so far) 273 Vancouver Film School alumni were credited on projects nominated by The Game Awards! Stay tuned for the final numbers. These alumni come from our Game Design, Film Production, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Writing for Film, Television & Games, Sound Design for Visual Media, Programming for Games, Web & Mobile, Acting for Film & Television, Classical Animation, Animation Concept Art, Digital Design, Makeup for Film & Television, and Foundation Visual Art & Design programs. Of these 273 credits, 71 were for winning projects.
10 VFS Alumni worked on Baldur’s Gate 3, Game of the Year award-winner at The Game Awards. Courtesy of EPA.This year’s awards proved to be a huge success for our alumni, and we want to take this opportunity to amplify their achievements!
- 10 VFS alumni were credited on Baldur’s Gate 3 which won 6 awards including Game of the Year.
- VFS Writing alum Tyler Burton Smith was one of 3 writers on Alan Wake 2, which won 3 awards including Best Narrative.
- A Shell in the Pitt – a Vancouver-based sound design company started by VFS grads – was credited on two Games for Impact-nominated games, Goodbye Volcano High and Tchia, the latter of which won!
- 30 alumni worked on HBO’s The Last of Us – which picked up the award for Best Adaptation.
- Numerous alumni from Beyond Capture – VFS’s industry partner – were involved on winning games Forza Motorsport & Street Fighter 6 and nominated games Resident Evil 4 & Mortal Kombat 1.
Alan Wake 2 – featuring the talents of 2 VFS alumni – scooped up 3 awards at The Game Awards. Established in 2014 by Media Entrepreneur Geoff Keighley, The Game Awards recognizes and upholds creative and technical excellence in the global video game industry. The ceremony brings together game developers, players, and pop culture names to celebrate gaming as the most immersive and inspiring form of entertainment. An Advisory Board of executives from Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Ubisoft, and others works to help guide and advance the mission of The Game Awards.
Chris Mitchell, Head of VFS’s Game Design program, commented: “What an incredible achievement for our alumni! There is no higher honour in the game industry than The Game Awards, and to see so many of our graduates credited on these top-tier titles is the biggest prize of all. Seeing just how many of our programs these alumni have graduated from – not just our Game Design program – goes to show what a wide reach video games have on the creative industry as a whole, and VFS is proud to lead the way in training artists for this industry.”
Looking to become a future Game Awards-winner? Learn how VFS’s Game Design program launches your career in the video game industry here. Our advanced industry program trains students in just 12 short months as Game Artists, Coders, and Level Designers. All curriculum is taught by professionals actively working in the industry, and students gain access to a lifelong network of creative professionals as well as high caliber facilities during their training – including a world-class, 64,000 cubic foot performance and motion capture studio.
A thunderous round of applause to all our alumni who had their hard work recognized this year by The Game Awards. Keep on leveling up in the video game industry!