The Grammy Awards are getting together as a result of the times and a redesign of a category aimed at video game soundtracks. Well, that and four others, including Songwriter of the Year (Non-classical), Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Americana Performance, and Best Spoken Word Poetry Album, have been added a new award for special merit.
As it happens, the definition of the video game genre reads the same.
The Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games And Other Interactive Media: Recognizes excellence in score soundtrack albums based mostly on original scores and developed specifically for or as a companion to a current video game or other interactive media within the qualification period.
The fact that it is different from what it is today, and the addition of any other interactive media, however, puts a pin in discussions about what actually qualifies as a video game. Some may be wondering, if it''s what the category looks like now, what did it look like before?
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A moment to get a little bit of history.
How it started
For an idea of how slowly award shows move on this kind of thing, it''s been over a decade since video games even got their own billing. Before 2011, video games became included in the other visual media component of the category. Only television and film received their own separate billing.
Which was not the greatest thing ever, since a decade ago, game soundtracks were not eligible for nominations.
The awards show that the game industry is moving slowly, and the members of the team they work on. Comparatively, video games were recognized in a category, but a song that was first created for a video game was recognized.
Christopher Tins Baba Yetu topped the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists category, and suddenly video game music was a legitimate thing. In 2012, the Grammys changed the name to Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.
In 2012, Thatgamecompanys Journey, led by Austin Wintory, was nominated. It was the first official award for the video game industry to win. It doesn''t win (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo climbed the category), but it demonstrates how rapid the company''s activity evolved. In 2012, video games still sparked a lot of social stigma. They instead received an emotionally resonant orchestral score.
How its going
Since Journey, a video game hasn''t received a nomination. So take from that what you will. Or, perhaps, ask why this year video games received a distinct category. I ask this question because video game composers deserve the same recognition as any other composer.
I have submitted viewership figures for the Grammy Awards for the glass-half-empty crowd for years.
