The Game Awards announced the nominees for their 2017 awards show, and a game from DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore will be competing for the first-ever “Best Student Game” award.
Meaning, developed by Hariz Yet, a student from the BS in Computer Science and Game Design program, was selected as one of six nominees for the new category, which recognizes “the best student project created at the high school or college level.”
In Meaning, a single-button game for mobile and desktop, the player goes on a metaphorical journey meant to parallel the emotional ups and downs of life. The player guides a paper airplane as it flits around evocative abstract landscapes, each prefaced by a single word like “renewal” or “depression” to set the tone. Your goal is to pass through resonant nodes scattered throughout each level.
Since 2014, The Game Awards has recognized the best-of-the-best in the video game industry. Ranging from the marquee “Game of the Year” award to specific categories like “Best Art Direction” and “Best Narrative,” the ceremony’s scope has spanned big-budget titles like Overwatch to emotionally resonant indies like That Dragon, Cancer.
The winner of this year’s “Best Student Game” award will be determined by a star-studded panel of five judges, including Todd Howard of Bethesda Game Studios, renowned developer Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear fame, Illka Paananen of Supercell, Vince Zampella of Respawn Entertainment, and Kim Swift of EA Motive (herself a 2005 graduate from DigiPen’s Redmond campus).
You can watch the awards show live on Thursday, December 7, as well as download and play Meaning today.