Voting was limited to Scotland-developed titles, but it was still the first year the Scotland organization (sigh, organisation) of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized (sigh, recognised) video games for specific honors (sigh, honours.)

Flock beat out Championship Manager Express 2010 (by Dynamo Games) and Low Grav Racer (Cobra Mobiles). Proper's creative director, Geoff Gunning, said the Dundee-based studio was amazed "to be recognised by such a prestigious body." He added that the studio's working on an unannounced product and will be developing downloadable titles for the near future.

Flock! Wins BAFTA Scotland Award [Team Xbox]

Trade organisation ELSPA has been counting the beans and both Wii titles have been selling like hot cakes made of chocolate-coated crack with porn sprinkles - making them eligible for ELSPA's coveted Diamond sales award.

The two games join other Diamond-rated games such as Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training and New Super Mario Bros. Only platform-exclusives are eligible for Diamond status, so GTA IV had to make do with a mere Double-Platinum despite selling about a bajillion copies in its first weekend.

Mario Kart and Wii Fit Hit Over 1M [EDGE]

“Miyamoto-san truly has defined video games as we know them today,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “With his remarkable creativity and passion for fun, family entertainment, Miyamoto-san and his team at Nintendo have produced many iconic games that appeal to audiences of all ages.”

A gala dinner and silent auction will be held on Wednesday, October 22nd at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, with tickets running $500 per person. A little pricey, but for a good cause honoring a pretty great guy. Hit the jump for details.

Shigeru Miyamoto Named 2008 “Nite to Unite for Kids” Honoree

Annual Black-Tie Event Continues to Raise Millions for Children’s Charities

September 18, 2008 – Washington, DC – Shigeru Miyamoto, senior managing director of Nintendo Co., Ltd., will be receiving the 2009 ESA Champion Award at the annual “Nite to Unite for Kids” dinner, sponsored by the ESA Foundation, the Entertainment Software Association’s charitable arm. “Nite to Unite for Kids” is the computer and video game industry’s premiere fundraising event, benefiting children’s charities across America.

“Miyamoto-san truly has defined video games as we know them today,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “With his remarkable creativity and passion for fun, family entertainment, Miyamoto-san and his team at Nintendo have produced many iconic games that appeal to audiences of all ages.”

Labeled the “father of modern video gaming” and the “Walt Disney of electronic gaming,” by TIME magazine, Miyamoto, a Kyoto, Japan native, began his career at Nintendo as a staff artist in 1977. Over his 30 year career, he has developed over 100 games, including the beloved Mario™, Donkey Kong™, and Zelda™ series. Most recently, he oversaw the design of the Wii™ console and accompanying games such as Wii Fit™.

“Nite to Unite for Kids,” presented by the ESA and hosted by the ESA Foundation, has raised over $11 million for children’s charities since its inception in 1999. This year’s event, which includes a black-tie optional dinner and a live and silent auction, will take place on Wednesday, October 22, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The co-chairs for the 2008 event are Brian Farrell, president & CEO, THQ Inc.; Graham Hopper, executive vice president/GM, Disney Interactive Studios; and John Riccitiello, CEO, Electronic Arts.

Past Champion Honorees include: George Lucas, famed director and founder of LucasArts; GameStop’s Dan DeMatteo; Electronic Arts’ Bing Gordon; Toys ‘R Us’ Michael Goldstein; Nintendo's Howard Lincoln; Sega's Isao Ogawa; Sony Computer Entertainment’s Ken Kutaragi and Electronic Boutique’s Jeffery Griffiths.

The gala event is open to both individuals and companies. Tickets are $500 for individuals, and table sponsorships are available. For ticket information, please contact Leslie Price at 800-949-3660

The ESA Foundation was created by the American interactive entertainment software industry to support and provide opportunities that can make a difference in the lives of America’s youth. The Foundation is fully supported by proceeds from sales of its limited edition charity game pack and "Nite to Unite for Kids," which has raised more than $11 million in the last 10 years. For more information about the ESA Foundation, please visit www.theESA.com/foundation.

What do Johnny Carson, Kelsey Grammer, and Nintendo all have in common? Why, they're all multi-Emmy Award winners, of course! At the Technological & Engineering Emmy Awards in Vegas on January 7, Nintendo was awarded its second Emmy for "excellence in engineering creativity". The award took into account the Wii's motion-sensor capabilities, as well as the touch and dual-screen display of the Nintendo DS. Nintendo won the Emmy last year for its plus-shaped D-pad, and reps from Nintendo say that the award recognizes the innovative direction Nintendo is heading, with more ingenuity planned for 2008 in the form of the Wii Fit board and the Wii Wheel for the upcoming Mario Kart. Congrats Nintendo!

I watched Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children shortly after it hit DVD and I have to say, while there were parts of it I enjoyed, overall I felt the experience was disjointed.

Apparently I'm in the minority, Square Enix just announced that the CG film was awarded Best Anime Feature during the American Anime awards held at the New York Comic Con last week.

"Thanks to the dedication of our loyal fans, FINAL FANTASY VII has come to enjoy 10 years of undying popularity," said Shinji Hashimoto, Producer, "FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN, a direct sequel in the COMPILATION of FINAL FANTASY VII series, brings the series into the next century with today's state-of-the-art CG, and we're sure fans enjoyed seeing old friends brought to new life on the screen. As creators, we are very proud of the finished product, and as developers, it is truly an honor to receive an award of this magnitude.

We hope for your continued support as the COMPILATION of FINAL FANTASY VII delves deeper into this exciting world. Thank you."

If you're a Final Fantasy fan (I'm not) who hasn't seen this yet you can pick it up for the PSP or on DVD from Sony Pictures. Brian Crecente

The jury is in for the 2007 ToyAwards that will be presented at the opening ceremonies of the International Toy Fair in N rnberg Germany tomorrow, and Nintendo Europe will be taking home an award for the 1-2 punch of the Wii and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, with judges citing the appeal for new age groups and encouragement of group play as major factors in their decision.

The jury chose the product because the play concept of Wii tends to encourage playing PC games in groups instead of alone. In addition, the product not only appeals to player types with an affinity to PCs, but also to new age groups - a real lifestyle theme.

WarioWare and Wii win toy fair award [Nintendo-Revolution @ Blogspot]

Nintendo has chosen 100 Americans between the ages of 54 to 104 to receive their 'Ageless Award', which honors the type of people who don't let age get in their way, like teenagers with fake I.D.s, only older. People like Rubin G. of New York, a 54 year-old professional racquetball player, or Waldo M. of Kansas, a 104 year-old beekeeper and author. Each of the 100 winners are receiving

a DS Lite and a copy of Brain Age.
"These honorees represent the kind of people we all want to grow up to be," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "They refuse to act their age. They think young, and therefore they act young. Brain Age is one more tool in their anti-aging arsenal."

This is of course all a crafty method of getting older people who act young connected with video gaming. I am sure the grandchildren of at least 75% of the people on the list will really appreciate the gesture. Michael Fahey

NINTENDO RECOGNIZES 100 'AGELESS AMERICANS'

'Ageless Award' Honorees are Inspirationally Youthful, Receive Nintendo DS and Brain Age to Keep Minds Active

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 22, 2007 - Nintendo is honoring 100 individuals, whose ages range from 54 to 104, from around the country who personify the term "ageless." They run marathons and tame lions. They are stuntmen and NASCAR racers. They don't let their chronological age define who they are, and they set a positive role model for people of all ages. These are qualities Nintendo has fostered with its wildly popular Nintendo DS title Brain Age : Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, which offers users a series of challenging puzzles to keep their minds active. The 100 recipients are living demonstrations of how a youthful mindset can keep a person truly "ageless." Each of the honorees has received a Nintendo DS Lite portable video game system and a copy of Brain Age.

"These honorees represent the kind of people we all want to grow up to be," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "They refuse to act their age. They think young, and therefore they act young. Brain Age is one more tool in their anti-aging arsenal."

A 2006 survey by the Entertainment Software Association revealed that 25 percent of all gamers are age 55 and older. Brain Age has been a big hit with older, active adults, who use it daily to help keep their minds sharp with tests of memory, mathematics, reading and counting.

"The award is a reminder to people of all generations that age is just a number," says award recipient Cathi Watson, a 73-year-old radio show host and producer. "Keeping your body and mind fit and active are the keys to remaining young at heart."

To help Nintendo find 100 people in the United States who personify the ideals of Brain Age, the Grandparent Marketing Group conducted a nationwide search and identified the following honorees. For more information about them, please contact Eileen Tanner at etanner@golinharris.com.

Alabama
Ray M., 69, of Decatur: Motorcycle drag racer and city councilman

Alaska
Don H., 66, of Haines: Snowmobile racer

Arizona:
Charlie H., 90, of Payson: Cowboy
Lute O., 72, of Tucson: America's oldest college basketball coach

Arkansas
Oakland D., 78, of Fort Smith: Runner and triathlete

California
Bob B., 75, of Palm Desert: World champion body surfer
Alan C., 74, of Altadena: Master puppeteer and owner of America's largest puppet collection
Jack C., 82, of Lakeside: World-famous bongo and conga player
Bill B., 66, of Oakland: Three-time national and world yo-yo champion
Leroy G., 89, of Carlsbad: Surfer and surfing photographer
Bob H., 73, of Fontana: Champion mountain bike rider
Joyce H., 72, of Atherton: Director of the Living Strong, Living Well program
Rueben M., 66, of Santa Ana: One of the largest commercial sellers of Spanish-language books
Lagrand N., 99, of Hemet: Nemean Games competitor
Donald P., 90, of Mountain View: Champion jumper
Ora R., 87, of Sacramento: Served as a mentor to more than 3,000 children
Raleigh R., 88, of San Jose: World War II POW, Blue Angel
Terry R., 90, of Los Angeles: Physical trainer since 1935
Gordy S., 88, of El Cajon: Unstoppable bicyclist
Barry S., 59, of Citrus Heights: Adult Baseball League champion

Connecticut
George B., 72, of Ridgefield: Oldest person ever to swim the English Channel
Donald M., 90, of New Haven: Competitive swimmer and teacher of ballroom dancing
Jose S., 80, of Norwich: Stonemason who built or repaired thousands of miles of stone walls in New England

Florida
Donald A., 68, of St. Petersburg: Health and wellness publisher and duathlete
George B., 91, of Winter Haven: Oldest barefoot water skier
Lucille B., 93, of Babson Park: Oldest female waterskiing champion
Cav C., 71, of Fort Lauderdale: Swimming champion
Iris D., 62, of Cocoa: Champion bodybuilder
Dorothy G., 98, of Jensen Beach: America's oldest mayor
Al O., 70, of Fort Meyers Beach: Four-time gold Olympics discus champ, painter
Edward R., 98, of Apollo Beach: Took up golf at 65, now plays every day
James S., 84, of Lady Lake: Three-sport Golden Age Games medalist
Helen W., 69, of Newberry: Basketball champion and coach

Hawaii
Jack S., 61, of Honolulu: Oldest pilot in U.S. military

Illinois
Cathi W., 73, of Schaumburg: Producer and host of eight weekly radio shows

Iowa
Hank M., 65, of Muscatine: Diving civil engineer

Kansas
Norvin A., 80, of Saint Francis: Oldest police officer in Kansas
Waldo M., 104, of Quinter: Beekeeper and author
George M., 68, of Emporia: Tennis coach at Emporia State University
Shirley R., 85, of Mission: Founded and runs the American Stroke Foundation

Kentucky
Red C., 90, of Somerset: Master mechanic
Christine C., 83, of Louisville: Worked for the state of Kentucky since 1958

Louisiana
Charles M., 91, of Baton Rouge: Champion weightlifter

Maine
Jim M., 68, of Bangor: Oldest car crash stuntman in America

Maryland
Joseph F., 71, of Frederick: Food bank driver who has transported more than 2 million pounds of surplus food
Douglas H., 63, of Chevy Chase: Six-time winner of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
Charles M., 87, of Bethesda: Tuskegee Airman, highest three-war fighter mission total

Massachusetts
Curtis H., 84, of Boston: 12 gold medals, National Veterans Wheelchairs Games
Jerry Y., 61, of Chestnut Hill: America's longest-serving hockey coach

Michigan
Paul B., 82, of Gaines: Water skiing legend
Lois Kivi N., 82, of Huntington Woods: World record swimmer
Nancy N., 63, of Grand Blanc: Mountain climber, motivational speaker
Harry S., 82, of Bloomfield Township: One of the original Tuskegee Airmen

Minnesota
Scott B., 55, of Bemidji: Oldest Olympian
Ardell L., 71, of Caledonia: First heart and kidney recipient to sail solo around the world
Jerome S., 97, of Minneapolis: Avid roller skater

Mississippi
Helen B., 86, of Ripley: High jumper and javelin thrower

Nebraska
Sarah G., 97, of Lincoln: Assistant sergeant-at-arms, Nebraska State Legislature
June H., 63, of Arcadia: Rodeo barrel racer

New Hampshire
Arnold G., 69, of Ashland: Restores vintage wooden bridges and builds new ones

New Jersey
Charlie C., 92, of Whippany: New Jersey's oldest firefighter
Barbara J., 74, of Princeton: Champion rower
Paul K., 76, of Far Hills: Relay swimmer, marathon runner

New Mexico
Mary M., 88, of Roy: Deputy municipal clerk
Lynn R., 82, of Quemado: Archery champion

New York
Rubin G., 54, of Staten Island: Professional racquetball player
Wilson G., 87, of Lancaster: Inventor of the first successful implantable pacemaker
Herman G., 89, of Great Neck: Deep-sea diver and underwater photographer
Reggie J., 80, of Bellmore: Country's oldest lifeguard
Diana K., 65, of New York: Artist, Holocaust survivor
Betty P., 75, of Penfield: Olympic coach, earned Ph.D. at 74
George S., 78, of Brooklyn: One of the oldest working magicians in the country
Warren S., 79, of New York: founded Legal Services for Children
Hoy W., 90, of New York: New York City's oldest bartender

North Carolina
Margaret H., 83, of Concord: Oldest person to have completed a marathon on each of the seven continents
Domenick I., 80, of Jacksonville: Has run 54 marathons
Morgan, S., 65, of Conover: Oldest NASCAR driver

Ohio
August B., 90, of Maple Heights: Oldest football coach in Ohio history
George K., 94, of Gahanna: One of the oldest practicing therapists in the country
Jan L., 72, of Findlay: Champion unicycle rider
Bonnie R., 80, of Mansfield: Oldest woman steelworker

Oklahoma
Lena H., 74, of Lawton: Spent six months in Iraq with Army Exchange Post
Ken M., 84, of Ponca City: Music store owner

Oregon
Maude B., 94, of Portland: Champion bowler
Mary B., 84, of Grants Pass: Newsroom librarian, Grants Pass Daily Courier
Caye I., 83, of Jacksonville: Two-medal winner in tennis at Senior Games
Daniele P., 84, of Lincoln City: Oldest working chef on the West Coast
Del W., 73, of Eagle Point: Competes in world-class poker tournaments

Pennsylvania
Karl S., 69, of Port Matilda: 17-time U.S. national glider champion

Texas
Margaret C., 73, of San Antonio: Nationally ranked tennis player
Betty P., 52, of North Richland Hills: One of the world's oldest female body builders
Lillian R., 90, of Dallas: Senior Games gold medalist in two sports
Katherine S., 66, of Dallas: Basketball coach and player, composer
Guy S., 85, of Round Rock: Multi-sport athlete

Utah
Ronny A., 73, of Washington: Oldest skydiver in Utah
John W., 82, of Salt Lake City: Triathlete

Virginia
Emily K., 75, of Richmond: Long-distance hiker and cyclist

Washington
Madonna B., 76, of Spokane: Oldest woman to ever finish an Ironman
Kelly N., 79, of East Wenatchee: Champion bodybuilder

Wisconsin
Wilbert B., 88, of Aniwa: World's oldest lion tamer

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii , Nintendo DS , Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario , Donkey Kong , Metroid , Zelda and Pok mon . A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

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Word on the street has it that Sims addict and Scrubs star Zach Braff will be presenting Will Wright his Vanguard award from the Producers Guild of America this year.

Why is Hollywood so enamored with the Sims, don't they live that game?

Variety wrote up a short piece aboutthe award Wright will be receiving and the developer's reaction to the news. (Of getting the award, not having Braff hand it to him.)

The Vanguard Award was once given out to people who used new technologies to change the way they made movies, like James Cameron and Pixar, but then it became a way to recognize Internet execs. This time around the chair of the association said they wanted to honor someone from the video gaming industry and their first choice was Wright.

Wright says he's happy to see that Hollywood is starting to recognize gaming.

"There has been this idea of convergence that is really happening, but not just in the ways everyone thought, like with interactive movies and videogames based on movies," he notes. "There has been a lot of influence on techniques. CG animated movies were in some sense pioneered by the games industry way back. And now people are using the technology in games to make movies through machinima."

Even in making "Spore," he says, he's very consciously being influenced by movies. As players acquire the ability to travel through space, he says he's looking to integrate allusions to some of his favorite science-fiction films, such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still."

...

"Creators in movies and TV are storytellers, but I think of myself as a story enabler," he says. "When players talk about what they do in games, they never mention a great cutscene or the plot. It's the unique things that they did with their own free will."

...

"Now that savvy consumers are becoming producers in all types of media, the social dynamics of games and movies and TV are overlapping more and more," the "Sims" creator observes.

I think Hollywood is getting scared, that's what I think. Brian Crecente

Hollywood Org Honors Vidgame Producer [Variety]

You here for yesterday's daisy chain of a clusterfuck? What. A. Mess. Now that we've got Sony's SIXAXIS DUAL SHOCK Emmy straightened out, time to shine the spotlight on other winners the National Television Academy honored. Microsoft picked up an Emmy for "Pioneering Work in Near and Real-Time Fully Programmable Shading Via Modern Graphics Processors" for its DirectX technology. Also, Nintendo snagged an Emmy for the D-pad in the "Peripheral Development and Technological Impact of Video Game Controllers" category, and Sony's Xross Media Bar was awarded another for "Outstanding Innovation and Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for the Best Use of Personal Media Display and Presentation Technology" (boys, let's shorten this category names 'kay?). So Microsoft got an Emmy, Nintendo got one and Sony bagged two. What, they now giving these things out at the airport? Brian Ashcraft

Emmy Winners Sorted For E's And Wizz [Emmy Online]

Will Wright is slated to receive the first ever Hall of Fame award from the Association of Electronic Interactive Marketers (acronyms boys, acronyms). He will also be speaking at the AEIM's (much better) M16 Conference next month in San Fran. Said President & CEO of MI6 and AEIM Jim Chabin:

Will Wright has had a revolutionary impact on the electronic games industry. As our industry and millions of fans worldwide anxiously await what promises to be a spectacular experience with his newest creation, Spore, our board felt that now was an excellent time to acknowledge this person's impact on all of us.

Congrats, Will! Good to see that this "gaming thing" is working out for you.

More Here [Action Trip]

Microsoft's website says, "Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) are recognized, credible and accessible individuals with expertise in one or more Microsoft who actively participate in online and offline communities to share their knowledge and expertise with other Microsoft customers." The company recently gave the award to the excellent Japanese site XNEWS. The site's manager said that in this four years he's managed the site, this was a happy moment. The site continually provides a consistant stream of Xbox news for the country's hardcore followers and definitely deserves this recognition. Congrats!

Full Story Here [Famitsu]

Now that the Oscars have stormed through Hollywood, we are left with more pressing questions like why was Tom Hanks dropping f-bombs and will gaming get its own Oscar-like ceremony?

Of course, there are various industry and publicity-based events, but there is no equivalent to an Academy Award or Grammy in gaming. The always intelligent Gamasutra put this question to a hoard of industry professionals to see what they thought. Likewise, we're going to do the same. So go ahead and voice your opinion.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Questions also remain: Where would it be? What would they give away? Would it be in English or Japanese? Headaches, headaches, headaches.

Hollywood Gossip Here [Defamer]

The Nintendo World Store won two awards from the Annual Institute of Store Planners/Visual Merchandising and Store Design.

The New York home to Nintendo won Store of the Year and Best Specialty Store over 10,000 Square Feet.

Nintendo Gal says that the mobility of the store's kiosks and the use of technology were key factors in the decision.