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What you need to know – or at least should know – about the German Computer Game Prize 2024 on April 18th.
Game developers, nominees, laudators, jurors and political celebrities will meet this Thursday evening for the 16th award ceremony of the official German Computer Game Prize (DCP) in Munich – which, according to self-promotion, will be held “The most important award in the German games industry”.
GamesWirtschaft answers recurring questions about the DCP and this year's awards ceremony.
Who awards the German Computer Game Prize?
The trophy will be awarded in 2009. The organizers are the Federal Republic of Germany (represented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, or BMWK for short) and the lobby association Game.
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The format is operationally supported by the awards office of the (association-owned) Digital Spielekultur Foundation and the (association-owned) entertainment software Selbstkontrolle, or USK for short. Their sifters take on, among other things, the preparation of the jury meetings.
What is the meaning and purpose of the computer game prize?
Analogous to the German Film Prize, the visibility of German productions in the market is to be increased – so it's about promoting remarkable games made in Germany that shine in categories such as audio design, game design, story and graphic design.
In addition, the award is intended to shine a spotlight on promising young studios and talents. The special jury prize and the title of 'Player of the Year' also recognize exceptional achievements outside of games development.
How much is the prize money?
A total of €800,000 will be paid out across 15 categories, including €100,000 for the Best German Game alone. The money is earmarked and must be invested in a new project. Undoped: the 'Best International Game' and 'Player of the Year'.
Who donates the prize money?
The Ministry of Economic Affairs – ultimately the taxpayers.
Who is nominated for the DCP this year?
This way please.
Which games and studios have the best chances?
Two productions with four nominations each are the favorites going into the evening: the Hamburg studio Rockfish Games with the space game Everspace 2on the other hand Fall of Porcupine by Critical Rabbit and Assemble Entertainment. Both games are also nominated in the supreme discipline of 'Best German Game' and will therefore take home a guaranteed €30,000 – no matter how things go.
Where and when does the awards ceremony take place?
On April 18th in the Eisbach Studios in Munich. The actual award ceremony starts at 8 p.m. – preceded by a 'pre-show' (from 6:30 p.m.) with interviews and red carpet impressions.
Where can I follow the live stream?
For example via YouTube and Twitch.
Who moderates the German Computer Game Award?
Entertainers Uke Bosse and Katrin Bauerfeind (Who steals the show from me?) were booked for the third time in a row. Previous moderators included Barbara Schöneberger, Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, Ina Müller, Judith Rakers, Nino Kerl, Jeannine Michaelsen and Funda Vanroy (Galileo).
Who will present the prizes?
The laudatory speeches are usually shared by celebrities, politicians and representatives of the games industry. This year, among others, the following are at the start: Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), Habeck's Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Kellner (Greens), the author and streamer Liza Grimm, Tatort actor Özgür Karadenis, comedian Maxi Gstettenbauer and stunt woman Marie Mouroum.
Who pays for the awards ceremony (moderation, gala, VIPs, catering…)?
The costs are borne alternately every year by the host federal state, i.e. the capital Berlin or the Free State of Bavaria.
Who decides on the prize winners?
The selection process is two-stage: First, four-person, regularly new expert juries make a pre-selection. The main jury then selects the winners from three nominations (overview).
Exception: The result in the (unfunded) category 'Player of the Year' is determined by the cumulative votes of the jury and audience (details).
Why are successful titles like this missing? Enshrouded or Pioneers of Pagonia on the nomination lists?
The jury can only nominate and award prizes that have been submitted. However, because each game can only be played once, studios and publishers often decide to play at a later date for strategic reasons. For example, people are increasingly waiting for the early access phase in order to be able to present a finished product to the jury.
Who has won the German Computer Game Award most often so far?
The undisputed frontrunner remains Hamburg-based Daedalic Entertainment GmbH, which has won a total of twelve titles as a developer and/or publisher – most recently in 2019. In second place: die Anno-Maker of Ubisoft Blue Byte (7), followed by Headup and Thunderful (5). Mimimi Games and Crytek each won four computer game awards.
Why is the German Computer Game Prize so controversial?
In the early years, the young DCP often found itself at the mercy of political interests and influence: parties and members of parliament, for example, called for a new and reshuffle of the jury – with the aim of avoiding 'unwelcome' prize winners. Just ten years ago, a regulation was supposed to come into force that made it almost impossible to award USK-18 games and was only corrected after protests.
In 2017, under the chairmanship of the jury by CSU politician Dorothee Bär, there was a scandal: the Munich studio Mimimi Productions rejected the award for Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun with reference to rumored “Disagreements” away. The vulnerable regulations were therefore revised the following year.
When it came to choosing presenters and eulogists, the organizers didn't always have a good hand: entertainer Ina Müller, for example, rejected common gamer clichés with her usual bluntness – jury boss Olaf Zimmermann complained “bottomless level” and diagnosed one “Reach and image problem”.
By relying on experienced specialist staff such as Schöneberger and Bauerfeind, this flank has now been closed. However, there is still criticism that the DCP is used as a stage by politicians and that the actual winners are regularly sidelined.
However, the complete picture also includes: The organizers have constantly developed the processes, conditions of participation and awards and refined those areas where there were obvious weaknesses. One of the clear improvements is, for example, the fact that the nominated teams in the two youth categories now receive at least €25,000 and no longer go home empty-handed.
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