The Pavs are New Zealand Games Festival’s awards, covering categories from best game to rising industry star. Here are the nominees and winners for 2021. Antifascist photography game Umurangi Generation cleaned up this year, with nods going to Best Friend Forever, Trigger Witch and more, across The Pavs’ ten categories.
Slice of heaven: Grand Prize
Nominees:
- Best Friend Forever, Starcolt
- Denari, Astronaut Diaries
- Sue’s Story, Incendio Software (solo dev)
- Trigger Witch, Rainbite
- Umurangi Generation, ORIGAME DIGITAL
Winner: Umurangi Generation, ORIGAME DIGITAL
READ: Umurangi Generation & the rise of the antifascist videogame
The guest plate: best Australian game
Nominees:
- Pico Tanks, Panda Arcade
- Road to Nowhere, 15 Bit Games
- Under a Star Called Sun, Cécile Richard
- Video World, Things For Humans
Winner: Video World, Things For Humans
READ: Best videogames from Australia and Aotearoa in 2020
The diverse delight: excellence in representation
Nominees:
- Best Friend Forever, Starcolt
- Denari, Astronaut Diaries
- Māoringo, Trent Archer
- Neocense, Tired Tortoise Tribe
- Umurangi Generation, ORIGAME DIGITAL
Winner: Best Friend Forever, Starcolt
READ: Launching Best Friend Forever & the emotional cost of release day
THE ACCESSIBLE AMBROSIA: EXCELLENCE IN ACCESSIBILITY
Nominees:
- Neocense, Tired Tortoise Tribe
- Trigger Witch, Rainbite
- Umurangi Generation, ORIGAME DIGITAL
Winner: Trigger Witch, Rainbite
the perfect recipe: Excellence in Design
Nominees:
- LongHaus, Gendly Games
- Trigger Witch, Rainbite
- Squiggle Drop, Aaron Neugebauer
- Watch This Space, It’s Anecdotal
Winner: Trigger Witch, Rainbite
The decorative piece: Excellence in Visual Art
Nominees:
- Best Friend Forever, Starcolt
- Denari, Astronaut Diaries
- Galilean Moons, Fantasy Workhouse
- Umurangi Generation, ORIGAME DIGITAL
- Wonderland Nights: White Rabbit’s Diary, Sky Bear Games
The poetic serving: Excellence in Narrative
Nominees:
- Denari, Astronaut Diaries
- Trigger Witch, Rainbite
- Last Message, JamesGames
- Wonderland Nights: White Rabbit’s Diary, Sky Bear Games
The composed segment: Excellence in Audio
Nominees:
- Last Message, JamesGames
- Starport Delta, Cloudfire Studios
- Sue’s Story, Incendio Software (solo dev)
- Umurangi Generation, ORIGAME DIGITAL
- Watch This Space, It’s Anecdotal
The tactile taste: Excellence in Physical Games
Nominees:
- Floating Floors, Gumboot Games Limited
- Galilean Moons, Fantasy Workhouse
- Soaring Lions, Imaginary Empire Games
- Upkeep, Gametime Again
Winner: Galilean Moons, Fantasy Workhouse
The student slice: student prize
Nominees:
- Frame of Mind, [SAMPLE TEXT] Studios ltd
- Keep Driving, Connor, Jesse, Jordon & Sam (Yoobee Colleges)
- LongHaus, Gendly Games
- Radical Relocation, Winglett Entertainment
Winner: Frame of Mind, [SAMPLE TEXT] Studios ltd
Te maunga kai kapua (tuakana): Industry Pillar
This Industry Pillar award is about recognising existing members of our community or industry who grow and support game development in NZ. They are central to our community and have been contributing to our industry for a significant amount of time.
Winner: Tim Ponting, Establishment Director at CODE – New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence
Te maunga kai kapua (teina):Unsung Hero
The Unsung Hero award is about recognising those who have not been formally recognised but deserve to be for the extra effort they put into the industry or community that goes beyond a normal job. This award honours the work of an individual who has positively influenced the game development community or industry in New Zealand from behind the scenes.
Winner: Ian Shephard, Creative Director at Cloudfire Studios
