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BioShock Sweeps Game Audio Awards

The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) as announced the winners of its 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards honoring outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in games, and BioShock won in every category in which it was nominated.

Leigh Alexander, Contributor

February 29, 2008

2 Min Read
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The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), a non-profit organization supporting the game audio industry, has announced the winners of its 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards, which honor outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in games. BioShock won a total of 8 awards, succeeding in every category in which it was nominated. Additionally, industry veteran Brian Schmidt was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Schmidt is best known for his audio work in games such as Madden Football, Desert Strike, Star Wars Trilogy and Crue Ball. In 1998, Brian left freelance audio for Microsoft, where he set the direction for game audio technologies for Windows and Xbox for the next decade. Finally, G.A.N.G. member Nathan Rain Schwartz was awarded a $10,000 scholarship to Expressions College, which offers a game audio curriculum at their Emeryville, CA campus. The winners were voted upon and judged by the game audio industry and members of G.A.N.G. They were announced at the G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony held in San Francisco, CA during the Game Developers Conference and are listed below by category. AUDIO OF THE YEAR BioShock MUSIC OF THE YEAR BioShock SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR BioShock BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM God of War II BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE BioShock BEST HANDHELD AUDIO Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow BEST AUDIO – OTHER Jewel Quest II BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO BioShock BEST DIALOGUE BioShock BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL "Welcome To Rapture" – BioShock BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – CHORAL "Main Titles" – God of War II BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – POP "Still Alive" – Portal BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC BioShock BEST ARRANGEMENT OF A NON-ORIGINAL SCORE Simpsons Game BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST "The World of Game Composing" – Film Music Magazine MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF AUDIO Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 (Audio controlling graphics & physics engine) BEST USE OF MULTI-CHANNEL SURROUND IN A GAME Halo 3 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (TIE) Austin Wintory (composer - flOw) Tomas Neumann (audio programmer - Crysis) STUDENT/APPRENTICE CONTEST WINNERS Mike "Skitch" Schichiano (music) Mikkel Eskessen (sound design) G.A.N.G. RECOGNITION AWARDS Russell Brower (audio director & composer - Blizzard Entertainment) Rod Abernathy (composer - Dead Head Fred) Michael "Piano Squall" Gluck (Piano Squall album and charity work) G.A.N.G. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Sean Beeson Jerry Lyons Chance Thomas Becky Young G.A.N.G./EXPRESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP Nathan Rain Schwartz LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Brian Schmidt BioShock composer Garry Schymann said, "Every now and again, life provides one of those great moments of satisfaction for which words are really inadequate to describe. Being honored by my friends and colleagues at this year's G.A.N.G awards was one of those moments. It was a very moving evening for me and I will always be grateful to G.A.N.G. and everyone who considered my score for BioShock worthy of these honors. I get to look at the trophies every day now, and that is very humbling and amazing!"

About the Author

Leigh Alexander

Contributor

Leigh Alexander is Editor At Large for Gamasutra and the site's former News Director. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety, Slate, Paste, Kill Screen, GamePro and numerous other publications. She also blogs regularly about gaming and internet culture at her Sexy Videogameland site. [NOTE: Edited 10/02/2014, this feature-linked bio was outdated.]

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