Hades wins the first Hugo Award for Best Video Game

This past weekend, the Hugo Awards were held at the 79th World Science Fiction Convention (or Worldcon, as it’s called for short). The Hugos are arguably the most major award in the sci-fi and fantasy literary field, recognizing categories like Best Novel, Best Editor, Best Dramatic Presentation (TV shows / movies), and more. One category which has never before been represented, however, is video games. That changed this year, with a brand new category for Best Video Game.

It’s worth noting, however, that this is not a permanent change. Every Worldcon has the option of adding one discretionary category to the awards, which future Worldcons are not bound to repeat. This year, the organizers used that optional category for video games — a medium which has gained consistently growing support for this kind of recognition. After all, video games tell stories as well, and many of them are just as good as anything else out there.

So while the question of whether or not we’ll ever see this category again at the Hugos remains, for today, gamers can rejoice. Hades, the roguelite dungeon crawler from Supergiant Studios inspired by Greek mythology, beat out fierce competition to claim the rocket and make Hugo history.

The Hugos reckon with their past

DisCon III — the name given to this particular Worldcon, since it’s the third time it’s been held in Washington D.C. — was historic in more ways than one. Last year the event was entirely virtual for the first time since its inception, owing to the ongoing pandemic. And there were some pretty controversial snaffus. The largest was that George R.R. Martin was the MC of the award ceremony, and there were so many issues with mispronounced names (especially of BIPOC nominees) and reminiscing about older sci-fi and fantasy authors whose racist views have since come to light that it produced reaction pieces like, “George R.R. Martin Can Fuck Right Off Into the Sun, or: The 2020 Hugo Awards Ceremony (Rageblog Edition).” That article was nominated for a Hugo this year for Best Related Work.

The Hugo Awards have been changing. The John W. Campbell has been renamed the Astounding Award for Best New Author, a shift meant to distance the award from the often racist and xenophobic views of the man it was originally named after. This year, there was palpable energy in the room when FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction won the award for Best Semiprozine, a powerful “kicking down doors” acceptance speech of Best Fan Writer Elsa Sjunneson, and yes, even the recognition of an outlier category like Best Video Game. There really was a feeling that Worldcon and the Hugos are trying to take steps into a more mindful future. There’s still plenty of walking to be done — when isn’t there? But for now, it’s a start.

Other notable wins include a double-win for Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries in both the Best Novel and Best Series categories, The Old Guard for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, and the series finale of The Good Place for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (which had one of the most hilarious acceptance speeches of the night).

Check out the full list of 2021 Hugo Award winners below.

Full list of 2021 Hugo Award Winners

Best Novel — Network Effect by Martha Wells

Best Novella — The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Best Short Story — “Metal Like Blood in the Dark” by T. Kingfisher

Best Series — The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Best Related Work — Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana

Best Graphic Story or Comic — Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Octavia Butler. Adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form — The Old Guard

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form — The Good Place, “Whenever You’re Ready” (Series Finale)

Best Editor, Short Form — Ellen Datlow

Best Editor, Long Form — Diana M. Pho

Best Professional Artist — Rovina Cai

Best Semiprozine — FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction

Best Fanzine — nerds of a feather, flock together

Best Fancast — The Coode Street Podcast

Best Fan Writer — Elsa Sjunneson

Best Fan Artist — Sara Felix

Best Video Game — Hades

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book — A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Astounding Award for Best New Writer — Emily Tesh

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