The Deutscher Computerspielpreis (DCP; ) is an annual awards ceremony that aims to honour achievements in the German video game industry. In addition to the awards themselves, various amounts of prize money are donated by supporters of the ceremony to the chosen categories.
Since 2009, it has been awarded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and game – The German Games Industry Association (game association).
Description
The German Computer Game Award (Deutscher Computerspielpreis, DCP) was first awarded on 31 March 2009. The awards are presented by the organisers, the BMFTR and the game association.
The ceremony includes a certain amount of prize money for specific categories. The requirement to receive the money is that the winner must prove that they will use the check to develop a new computer game that meets the DCP criteria. The distribution of the prize money is also clearly regulated: the developer receives 70 percent of the sum, while the publisher (if available) receives 30 percent. The prize money is donated by supporters and most recently amounted to a total of €800,000 in 2023.
Format The German Computer Game Award consists of a main jury and ten specialist juries. The main jury is composed of two representatives from each specialist jury. In addition, the German Bundestag may appoint two more members. Berlin and Bavaria, as the hosting federal states, may each appoint one more member of the jury as well. Specialist juries, the Bundestag, and the hosting federal states ultimately select eleven more individuals to join the main jury. This results in a total of 35 responsible members. The main jury determines the winners of the categories "Best German Game", "Special Jury Award", and "Best International Game". The specialist juries are assembled by the two organizers, the BMFTR and the game association. The jurors come from politics, research, or a field related to gaming. This includes the DCP developer, active players, the press, media educators, and youth media protectors. On average, the specialist juries consist of four people and determine the winners of the remaining ten categories. The format includes the possibility of games being nominated after the official announcement.
Awarded games
2009 In March 2009, the nominations for the first award ceremony were announced, consisting of nine categories with the ceremony being announced to happen on 31 March 2009. The winners were set to receive a total of €600.000 in all categories except for "Best International Game". The winner in the “Best German Game” category was chosen from the winners of the other categories, with the exception of the school and student concepts and the special prize. The ceremony was held in Munich, Germany, with Drakensang: The Dark Eye receiving two awards overall. AwardRecipientBest German GameDrakensang: The Dark Eye – Radon LabsBest International GameWii Fit, LittleBigPlanetBest Youth GameDrakensang: The Dark Eye – Radon LabsBest Children's GameFritz and ChessterBest Browser GameIkariamBest Mobile GameCrazy MachinesBest Serious GameTechForceBest Pupil's GameMonkey´s World Wide Jungle – Elsa-Brändström-Gymnasium, OberhausenBest Student's GameSnatch'em – Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin
2010 The second ceremony took place on 29 April 2010, where Anno 1404 took the lead by securing two awards. The game was nominated for "Best International Game" after the official announcement of nominations was given out. Gamestar observed that the heightened level of violence in the preceding nominees, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Dragon Age: Origins, might have influenced the expansion of nominations. AwardRecipientBest German GameAnno 1404 – Related DesignsBest International GameAnno 1404 – Related DesignsBest Youth GameThe Whispered WorldBest Children's GameLernerfolg Vorschule – Capt'n SharkyBest Browser GameWewaiiBest Mobile GameGiana Sisters DSBest Serious GameExperiMINTeBest Pupil's GameGooseGogs – Frederic Schimmelpfennig, Nikolaus-August-Otto-Schule, Bad SchwalbachBest Student's GameNight of Joeanne – Mediadesign Hochschule, Düsseldorf
2011 Source: Best German Game and Best Youth Game: A New Beginning Best Children's Game: The Kore Gang Best Browser Game: The Settlers Online Best mobile Game: Galaxy on Fire 2 Best "Serious Game": Energetika Best concept of the young talents competition: Tiny & Big in Grandpa's Leftovers
2012 Source: Best German Game Crysis 2 Best Youth Game: Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes Best Children's Game: The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic Best Browser Game: Drakensang Online Best mobile Game: Das verrückte Labyrinth HD Best "Serious Game": Vom Fehlenden Fisch – Die Geheimnisvolle Welt der Gemälde Best Concept of the Young Talents Competition: About Love, Hate and Other Ones Special Award Browser Game: Trauma Special Award of the Young Talents Competition: Pan it!
2013 Source: Best German Game Chaos on Deponia Best Youth Game: Tiny & Big in Grandpa's Leftovers Best Children's Game: Meine 1. App – Band 1 Fahrzeuge Best Browser Game: Forge of Empires Best Mobile Game: Word Wonders: The Tower of Babel Best "Serious Game": Menschen auf der Flucht Best Concept of the Young Talents Competition: GroundPlay
2014 Source: Best German Game The Inner World Best Youth Game: Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians Best Children's Game: Malduell Best Browser Game: Anno Online Best Mobile Game: CLARC Best Concept of the Young Talents Competition: Scherbenwerk – Bruchteil einer Ewigkeit Special award: The Day the Laughter Stopped
2015 The winners were announced on 21 April 2015 in Berlin.
Best German Game: Lords of the Fallen (Deck13, CI Games) Best Children's Game: Fire (Daedalic Entertainment) Best Youth Game: TRI: Of Friendship and Madness (Rat King Entertainment, Rising Star Games) Best Concept of the Young Talents Competition: In Between Best Innovation: Spiel des Friedens (Studio Fizbin, Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kultur Münster) Best Staging: Lords of the Fallen (Deck13, CI Games) Best Serious Game: Utopolis – Aufbruch der Tiere (Reality Twist, Nemetschek Stiftung) Best Mobile Game: Rules! (The Coding Monkeys) Best Game Design: The Last Tinker: City of Colors (Mimimi Productions) Best International Game: This War of Mine (11 bit studios) Best International Multiplayer Game: Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment) Best International New Game World: This War of Mine (11 bit studios) Audience Award: Dark Souls II (From Software, Bandai Namco)
2016 The winners were announced on 7 April 2016 in Munich.
Best German game: Anno 2205 (Blue Byte/Ubisoft) Best Concept of the Young Talents Competition: 1. Cubiverse (Mediadesign Hochschule Munich), 2. Lost Ember (HAW Hamburg, Mooneye Studios), 3. Leaves (TU Cologne) Best Children's Game: 1. Fiete Choice (Ahoiii Entertainment); 2. Shift Happens (Klonk) Best Youth Game: One Button Travel (The Coding Monkeys) Best Innovation: The Climb (Crytek) Best Staging: Typoman (Brainseed Factory, Headup Games) Best Serious Game: Professor S. (LudInc, Berlin) Best Mobile Game: Path of War (Envision Entertainment, Nexon) Best Game Design: Shift Happens (Klonk) Best International Game: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt RED, Bandai Namco) Best International Multiplayer Game: Splatoon (Nintendo) Best International New Game World: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red, Bandai Namco) Special Jury Award: Indie Arena Booth Audience Award: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red, Bandai Namco)
2017 The nominations were announced in March 2017 while the ceremony was held in April, 2017 in Berlin.
Best German game: Portal Knights (Keen Games/505 Games) Best Concept of the Young Talents Competition: 1. DYO (HTW Berlin), 2. Isometric Epilepsy (Technical University of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia), 3. ViSP – Virtual Space Port (HTW Berlin) Best Children's Game: She Remembered Caterpillars (Jumpsuit Entertainment, Kassel/Ysbyrd Games, Brighton) Best Youth Game: Code 7 – Episode 0: Allocation (Goodwolf Studio, Bonn) Best Innovation: VR Coaster Rides and Coastiality App (VR Coaster, Kaiserslautern) Best Staging: Robinson: The Journey (Crytek, Frankfurt) Best Serious Game (two winners): Debugger 3.16: Hack’n’Run (Spiderwork Games, Vechta), Orwell (Osmotic Studios, Hamburg/Surprise Attack, Melbourne) Best Mobile Game: Glitchskier (Shelly Alon, Hamburg) Best Game Design: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (Mimimi Productions, Munich/Daedalic Entertainment, Hamburg) Best International Game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, Kyoto/Japan) Best International Multiplayer Game: Overwatch (video game) (Activision Blizzard, Santa Monica, California/United States) Best International New Game World: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment, Santa Monica, California) Special Jury Award: Computerspielemuseum Berlin (Berlin) Audience Award: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (CD Projekt, Warsaw/Poland)
2018 The winners were announced on 10 April 2018 in Munich.
Best German game: Witch It (Barrel Roll Games, Hamburg) Best Children's Game: Monkey Swag (Tiny Crocodile Studios/kunst-stoff, Berlin) Best Youth Game: Witch It (Barrel Roll Games, Hamburg) Best Innovation: HUXLEY (Exit Adventures, Kaiserslautern) Best Staging: The Long Journey Home (Daedalic Entertainment, Düsseldorf) Best Serious Game: Vocabicar (Quantum Frog, Oldenburg) Best Mobile Game: Card Thief (Arnold Rauers, Berlin) Best Game Design: TownsmenVR (HandyGames, Giebelstadt) Best International Game: Assassin's Creed Origins (Ubisoft) Best International Multiplayer Game: Witch It (Barrel Roll Games, Hamburg) Best International Game World: Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment) Young Talent with Concept: 1. Ernas Unheil (HTW Berlin), 2. Sunset Devils (Carl-Hofer-Schule, Karlsruhe) Young Talent with Prototype: 1. Fading Skies (HAW Hamburg), 2. Realm of the Machines (Mediadesign Hochschule, München) Special Jury Award: Friendly Fire (charity campaign) Audience Award: ELEX (Piranha Bytes, Essen)
2019 The awards were announced on 9 April 2019 in Munich.
Best German game: Trüberbrook (Headup Games) Best Children's Game: Laika (Mad About Pandas) Best Youth Game: Unforeseen Incidents (Application Systems Heidelberg) Best Innovation: Bcon – The Gaming Wearable (CapLab) Best Staging: Trüberbrook (Headup Games) Best Serious Game: State of Mind (Daedalic Entertainment) Best Mobile Game: see/saw (kamibox) Best Game Design: Tower Tag (VR Nerds) Best International Game: God of War (Sony Interactive Entertainment) Best International Multiplayer Game: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo) Best International Game World: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games) Young Talent with Concept: Elizabeth (HTW Berlin) Young Talent with Prototype: A Juggler’s Tale (Film Academy Baden-Württemberg) Special Jury Award: A Maze. / Berlin (International Games and Playful Media Festival) Audience Award: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales (CD Projekt Red)
2020 Source: Best German Game: Anno 1800 (Ubisoft Mainz/Ubisoft) Best Family Game: Tilt Pack (Navel/Super.com) Young Talent - Best Debut: The Longing (Studio Seufz/Application Systems Heidelberg) Young Talent - Best Prototype: Couch Monsters (Laurin Grossmann, John Kees, Marie Maslofski, Dennis Oprisa, Luca Storz, Jaqueline Vintonjek – HTW Berlin) Best Innovation and Technology: Lonely Mountains: Downhill (Megagon Industries/Thunderful Publishing) Best Games World and Aesthetics: Sea of Solitude (Jo-Mei/Electronic Arts) Best Game Design: Anno 1800 (Ubisoft Mainz/Ubisoft) Best Serious Game: Through the Darkest of Times (Paintbucket Games/HandyGames) Best Mobile Game: Song of Bloom (Kamibox) Best Expert Game: Avorion (Boxelware) Best International Game: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Electronic Arts)