User:BlueGreenMikey/Canadian Game Awards
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| Canadian Game Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Achievements in the video game industry in Canada |
| Sponsored by | Valnet |
| Country | Canada |
| Website | cgameawards |
The Canadian Game Awards (CGAs) is an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry among games developed and by creators based in Canada.
As of 2025, the CGAs are held at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto. The awards are hosted in conjunction with the Eh! Game Expo, a free-to-the-public event hosting demos from independent video game studios and developers.[1]
Background
[edit]In 2006, an event called the Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts, or Elans, was held in Richmond. Two more events were held in 2008 and 2009, but the ceremonies were plagued by poor planning, organization, and production, bad personnel management, and unpaid debts, and the connection to the Canadian video game industry was significantly reduced. By 2010, the rebranded Elans had moved to San Diego and were defunct the following year.[2][3]
The first annual Canadian Videogame Awards (CVAs) were held in Vancouver in 2010. The CVAs were created in part as a response to the problems with the Elans, and the organizers tried to ensure that the video game industry had a major role in the awards.[4][5] However, after 7 years of ceremonies, the awards were cancelled in 2017.[6][7]
In 2020, the Canadian Game Awards were founded by Carl-Edwin Michel, who produced the final three CVA ceremonies.[1] The CGA awards are set up to be designed "by the industry, for the industry" and has awards in multiple areas of the Canadian video game industry including for games, studios, content creators, and Esports.[8]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first CGAs, planned for March 2020, were pushed back, and the first three ceremonies, in 2020, 2021, and 2022, were all held as pre-recorded shows and streamed online.[1] Following problems administering the first in-person ceremony in 2023, including malfunctioning teleprompters and other problematic glitches, the CGAs were cancelled for 2024.[1][7] Michel claimed responsibility for the failed 2023 show and spent the year attempting to rebuild the trust that had been lost. Paul Fogolin, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada said that he was cautiously optimistic of the 2025 reboot following Michel's apology tour.[7]
Format
[edit]As of 2024, the procedure of the Canadian Game Awards is overseen by Marcel Dee, the CEO of A Gaming Network, and Steve Vegvari, a Canadian freelance video game and technology journalist. The Selection Committee, made up of Canadian video game industry members, creates a list of eligible video games for the release year, and each committee member submits about 5 nominees per category. Dee and Vegvari then tally the committees nominations and select the most popular games to be the official awards nominees. A separate Judging Committee selects the winner for each category.[9]
In 2025, the Canadian Game Awards had 16 total awards. Games account for 9 of the awards, while there are 3 for specific studios, 3 related to Esports, and 1 for content creators or non-game media.
Awards
[edit]2020
[edit]Games
[edit]CATEGORY
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CATEGORY
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Studios
[edit]CATEGORY
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CATEGORY
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Esports and creators
[edit]CATEGORY
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CATEGORY
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2021
[edit]The 2021 Canadian Game Awards celebrated the games of 2020. The ceremony was held on April 9, 2020.[11]
Games
[edit]CATEGORY
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CATEGORY
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Studios
[edit]CATEGORY
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CATEGORY
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Esports and creators
[edit]CATEGORY
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CATEGORY
|
2022
[edit]Games
[edit]CATEGORY
|
CATEGORY
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Studios
[edit]CATEGORY
|
CATEGORY
|
Esports and creators
[edit]CATEGORY
|
CATEGORY
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2023
[edit]Games
[edit]CATEGORY
|
CATEGORY
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Studios
[edit]CATEGORY
|
CATEGORY
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Esports and creators
[edit]CATEGORY
|
CATEGORY
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2024
[edit]Narrative
2025
[edit]The 2025 Canadian Game Awards celebrated the games of 2024. The ceremony was held on February 15, 2025, at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto.[8] The show was hosted by Naomi Kyle.[14]
Games
[edit]Game of the Year
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Best Debut Indie Game
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Best Technology or Innovation
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Best Game Design
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Best Art Direction
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Best Performance
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Best Narrative
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Best Score/Soundtrack
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Best Audio Design
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Studios
[edit]Studio of the Year
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Most Innovative Studio
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Best Debut Studio
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Esports and creators
[edit]Content Creator/Show
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Esports Event
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Esports Org
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Esports Player
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Records
[edit]Most Canadian Game Awards won by a game
[edit]| Awards | Game Name | Developer/Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Num | Game | Studio |
Most Canadian Game Awards won by a studio
[edit]| Awards | Studio |
|---|---|
| Num | Studio |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Michel, Carl-Edwin (February 13, 2025). ""It Feels Like Year One": Canadian Game Awards Founder Carl-Edwin Michel On Canada's Important Role In The Gaming Industry & The CGAs Big 2025 Comeback". Screen Rant (Interview). Interviewed by Rob Keyes. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ Hui, Stephen (December 15, 2009). "Elan Awards for video games and digital media leave Vancouver for San Diego". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ Kyllo, Blaine (April 7, 2010). "Troubled Elan Awards for video games leave Vancouver for San Diego". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ Kyllo, Blaine (April 28, 2010). "New awards celebrate Canadian video games". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ Kyllo, Blaine (May 6, 2010). "Canadian Video Game Awards get off to a good start in Vancouver". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ Gatari, Angela (August 17, 2017). "8th Annual CVAs Cancelled" (Press release). Toronto: Canadian Videogame Awards. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c Ore, Jonathan (February 15, 2025). "Canadian Game Awards want to remind you some of the best video games of 2024 were made in this country". CBC Radio. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Jackson, Lara (February 16, 2025). "The Canadian Game Awards 2025: All Winners & Nominees". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ Michel, Carl-Edwin (January 20, 2025). "Behind the Scenes of the Canadian Game Awards: Ensuring Fairness and Integrity in the Adjudication Process". Canadian Game Awards. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ "2020 Winners". Canadian Game Awards. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023.
- ^ "Announcing the winners of the 2021 Canadian Game Awards". Canadian Game Awards. April 9, 2021. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023.
- ^ Vegvari, Steve (April 8, 2022). "Introducing the Winners of the 2022 Canadian Game Awards". Canadian Game Awards. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023.
- ^ "Announcing your 2023 Canadian Game Award Winners!". Canadian Game Awards. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023.
- ^ Keyes, Rob (February 13, 2025). ""It Feels Like Year One": Canadian Game Awards Founder Carl-Edwin Michel On Canada's Important Role In The Gaming Industry & The CGAs Big 2025 Comeback". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 1, 2025.