GDC 2022: Inscryption makes history amidst five days of discussion about everything video games

The latest chapter of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) drew to a close last weekend after nearly a week of discussions and panels on everything video game-related. Attendees got to hear from industry veterans on both topical issues and what can be expected in the future. Amidst all this, the roguelike deck-building game Inscryption managed to make history at the event's award ceremonies.

This year's Game Developers Conference was held from March 21-25 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The event had a star-studded schedule with intriguing discussions, workshops, and more. GDC also provided the stage for the Game Developers Choice Awards and the Independent Games Festival Awards, where Inscryption bagged the top prize.

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Inscryption wins at both IGF and GDCA at GDC this year

At the 22nd Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the genre-bending deckbuilding title, Inscryption, won the Game of the Year Award, besting a number of amazing games that were nominated. Earlier that night, it also clinched the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards - a sister awards show with GDCA.

Inscryption is the first game to win both the top accolades at GDC. The official release stated:

"Inscryption’s unique blend of deck-building roguelike, escape-room style puzzles and psychological horror is the first game to ever be honored with the top prize at both the Game Developers Choice Awards and the Independent Games Festival Awards. Inscryption uniquely took top honors during the awards ceremony, leading an impressive lineup of some of the very best games of the year."

The list of winners for the Game Developers Choice Awards is as follows:

• Best Debut - Iron Gate Studio for Valheim
• Best Visual Art - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Best Audio - Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games)
• Best Narrative - Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine Productions / Xbox Game Studios)
• Social Impact Award - Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)
• Innovation Award - Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games)
• Best Technology - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Best Design - It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Audience Award - Valheim (Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing)
• Game of the Year - Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
• Ambassador Award - Steven Spohn
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Yuji Horii

The list of winners for IGF Awards were:

• Best Student Game ($2,000) - Live Adventure (Live Adventure Team)
• Excellence in Design ($2,000) - Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)
• Excellence in Visual Art ($2,000) - Papetura (Petums)
• Excellence in Audio ($2,000) - Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)
• Nuovo Award ($2,000) - Memory Card (Lily Zone)
• Excellence in Narrative ($2,000) - Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)
• Audience Award ($2,000) - Mini Motorways (Dinosaur Polo Club)
• Seumas McNally Grand Prize ($10,000) - Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)

The show's footage is archived on GDC's official Twitch and YouTube channels.

GDC 2022 also played host to a number of important discussions regarding the state of the video game industry and what the future holds. Panel discussions covered topics like the effects of the pandemic on the work experience, the ever-growing labor movement, the possibility of unionization, and the debate surrounding NFTs and blockchain gaming in the industry.

Microsoft and Amazon discussed their cloud services for building games. Amazon is providing AWS for Gamers while Microsoft is offering Azure Game Development Virtual Machine. Both of these are dedicated to allowing developers to develop games remotely. NVIDIA also provided a glimpse at the Omniverse.

Videos of the talks are slowly being made available on the official YouTube channel of the event. The in-person conference was a step towards pre-pandemic normalcy, but it was evident that the industry at large remains deeply affected by the pandemic and ripples of it will be felt for a long time ahead.