D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character explained
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work has furthered the interactive experience through the creation of a memorable character within an interactive title. Outstanding character takes into consideration the marriage of voice acting and performance (motion capture work), character design and execution, and writing". All creative/technical members of the Academy are qualified to vote in this category, regardless of their field of expertise.[1] There were originally separate awards for female and male characters, but eventually merged into one category at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2008.[2] [3]
The award's most recent winner is for Miles Morales, portrayed by Nadji Jeter, directed by Jon Paquette and Ben Arfmann, and written by Lauren Mee, from Marvel's Spider-Man 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
History
There used to be separate awards presented for a female character performance and a male character performance. Over the years it would go back and forth between Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance and Outstanding Character Performance, before being simplified to just Outstanding Achievement in Character in 2015.
- Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Female (2004, 2007)
- Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Male (2004, 2007)
- Outstanding Character Performance - Female (2005–2006)
- Outstanding Character Performance - Male (2005–2006)
- Outstanding Character Performance (2008–2009, 2011, 2014)
- Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance (2010, 2012)
- Outstanding Character Performance - Male or Female (2013)
- Outstanding Achievement in Character (2015–present)
Winners and nominees
Table key | Indicates the winner | |
2000s
| Year | Game, Actor/Actress, Role | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | |
|---|
2003
(7th) | Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Female | [4] [5]
[6] [7] |
|---|
| Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe (Enter the Matrix) | Shiny Entertainment | Atari |
| Tara Strong as Rikku (Final Fantasy X-2) | SquareSoft | Square Enix |
| Christina Milian as Angel (Def Jam Vendetta) | AKI Corporation, EA Canada | Electronic Arts |
| Anna Garduño as Keira (Jak II) | Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Anna Edwards as Yasmin (The Getaway) | Team Soho |
| Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Male |
| Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) | EA Redwood Shores | Electronic Arts |
| Method Man (Def Jam Vendetta) | AKI Corporation, EA Canada | Electronic Arts |
| James McCaffrey as Max Payne () | Remedy Entertainment | Rockstar Games |
| Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher (Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell) | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| Snoop Dogg () | Luxoflux | Activision |
2004
(8th) | Outstanding Character Performance - Female | [8] [9] |
|---|
| Judi Dench as M () | EA Los Angeles | Electronic Arts |
| Vanessa Marshall as Zhai () | Stormfront Studios | Atari |
| Linda Currie (Zoo Tycoon 2) | Blue Fang Games | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Outstanding Character Performance - Male |
| Robert Guillaume as Dr. Eli Vance (Half-Life 2) | Valve | Vivendi Universal Games |
| Daniel Riordan as Rannek () | Stormfront Studios | Atari |
| David Hayter as Naked Snake () | Konami | Konami |
| Cary Elwes as The Bard (The Bard's Tale) | inXile Entertainment | inXile Entertainment |
| Vin Diesel as Riddick () | Starbreeze Studios | Vivendi Universal Games |
2005
(9th) | Outstanding Character Performance - Female | [10] [11] [12] [13] |
|---|
| Jade Empire | BioWare | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Gun | Neversoft | Activision |
| Need for Speed: Most Wanted | EA Canada, EA Black Box | Electronic Arts |
| Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Casablanca | Ubisoft |
| Outstanding Character Performance - Male | [14] |
|---|
| God of War | Santa Monica Studio | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Gun | Neversoft | Activision |
| Jade Empire | BioWare | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Oddworld Inhabitants | Electronic Arts |
| Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Milan | Ubisoft |
2006
(10th) | Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Female | [15] [16] [17] |
|---|
| Louise Ridgeway as Leafos (Viva Piñata) | Rare | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Maine Anders as Christy Martin (Bully) | Rockstar Vancouver | Rockstar Games |
| Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young (Desperate Housewives: The Game) | Liquid Entertainment | Buena Vista Games |
| Tia Carrere as Lin (Saints Row) | Volition | THQ |
| Lynda Carter () | Bethesda Game Studios | Bethesda Softworks, 2K Games |
| Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Male |
| John DiMaggio as Marcus Fenix (Gears of War) | Epic Games | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Gerry Rosenthal as Jimmy Hopkins (Bully) | Rockstar Vancouver | Rockstar Games |
| Max Casella as Daxter (Daxter) | Ready at Dawn | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Lego Han Solo () | Traveller's Tales | LucasArts |
| Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher () | Ubisoft Shanghai | Ubisoft |
2007
(11th) | Portal | Valve | Valve, Electronic Arts | [18] [19]
[20] [21] |
|---|
| BioShock | 2K Boston, 2K Australia | 2K Games |
| Heavenly Sword | Ninja Theory | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Mass Effect | BioWare | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment |
2008
(12th) | Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet) | Media Molecule | Sony Computer Entertainment | [22] [23] [24] |
|---|
| Dom Santiago (Gears of War 2) | Epic Games | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Marcus Fenix (Gears of War 2) |
| Old Snake () | Kojima Productions | Konami |
| Lara Croft () | Crystal Dynamics | Eidos Interactive |
2009
(13th) | Mark Hamill as The Joker () | Rocksteady Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | [25] [26] [27] |
|---|
| Jack Black as Eddie Riggs (Brütal Legend) | Double Fine Productions | Electronic Arts |
| Karen Dyer as Sheva Alomar (Resident Evil 5) | Capcom | Capcom |
| Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer () | Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Nolan North as Nathan Drake () | |
2010s
2020s
Multiple nominations and wins
Developers and publishers
Sony has published the most nominees and the most winners. Sony's subsidiary Naughty Dog has developed the most nominees. Valve and Sony's Santa Monica Studio are tied for developing the most winners. Electronic Arts and Microsoft Game Studios are the only publishers with back-to-back wins. Electronic Arts has published back-to-back winners for a Male Character in 2004 and 2005, while Microsoft has published back-to-back winners for a Female Character in 2006 and 2007. Electronic Arts and Microsoft have published both winners for a Female Character and a Male Character in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Ubisoft has published the most nominees without publishing a single winner, and its subsidiary Ubisoft Montreal has developed the most nominees without developing a single winner.
Franchises and Characters
Uncharted has received the most nominations in this category, but has never won. The God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Portal franchises are the only franchises to have won more than once, with God of War being the most award-winning franchise. There have been numerous games that have two finalists in the same year:
Uncharted, The Last of Us, and God of War are the only franchises to have multiple nominees within a single game more than once. Infamous is the only franchise to receive nominations for more than one game in a single year. Portal is the only franchise that has won with more than one character (GLaDOS and Wheatley). God of War is the only franchise with the same pair of characters nominated concurrently in multiple games (Kratos and Atreus).
Kratos and Nathan Drake are the most nominated characters in this category. Kratos and Miles Morales are the only characters with more than one win. Commander Shepard is the only character that have both the male and female versions named as a finalist.
Notes and References
- Web site: D.I.C.E. Awards Voting Rules & Procedures . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 10 December 2023.
- Web site: 2004 Awards Category Details Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Female . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: 2004 Awards Category Details Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Male . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Announces Finalists for the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards . interactive.org . 19 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061004060859/http://www.interactive.org/content/pdf/AIAS_PressRelease_021304.pdf . October 4, 2006 . dead.
- Web site: Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Announces Winners for the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards . interactive.org . 19 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061004061035/http://www.interactive.org/content/pdf/AIAS_PressRelease_030404.pdf . October 4, 2006.
- Web site: AIAS Announces Finalists for Annual Interactive Achievement Awards . GameZone . May 4, 2012 . 9 January 2023.
- Web site: 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Award Winners Announced . Writers Write . Writers Write, Inc. . 9 January 2023.
- Web site: 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Finalists . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 19 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050302084025/http://www.interactive.org/awards/IAA-8/winners.asp . 2005-03-02.
- Web site: Feldman . Curt . Half-Life 2 named Game of the Year D.I.C.E. Awards . GameSpot . 26 December 2022 . February 2, 2005.
- Web site: 2006 Awards Category Details Outstanding Character Performance - Female . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Thorsen . Tor . God of War leads AIAS Award finalists . GameSpot . 26 December 2022 . January 17, 2006.
- Web site: DICE 2006: Interactive Achievement Awards . IGN . February 10, 2006 . 26 December 2022.
- Web site: 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Outstanding Character Performance - Female . . interactive.org . https://web.archive.org/web/20071014023256/http://interactive.org/awards.php?winners&year=2006&cat=200611#200611 . 29 February 2024. October 14, 2007 .
- Web site: 2006 Awards Category Details Outstanding Character Performance - Male . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Finalists . D.I.C.E. Summit . 18 December 2023.
- Web site: GEARS OF WAR INVADES SIN CITY CAPTURING EIGHT STATUES AT THE 10TH ANNUAL INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 18 December 2023.
- Web site: Surette . Tim . D.I.C.E. 07: Gears grabs gold . GameSpot . 26 December 2022 . February 12, 2007.
- Web site: 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Finalists . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 31 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080708194902/http://interactive.org/content/pdf/11th_Annual_IAA_Finalists.pdf . July 8, 2008 . dead.
- Web site: 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Winners . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 31 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080509185844/http://interactive.org/content/pdf/11th_Annual_IAA_Winners.pdf . May 9, 2008 . dead.
- Web site: Thorsen . Tor . COD4, Orange Box, BioShock, Rock Band D.I.C.E. up Interactive Achievement Awards . GameSpot . 26 December 2022 . February 8, 2008.
- Web site: ACADEMY AWARDS TOP HONORS TO CALL OF DUTY 4, BIOSHOCK, THE ORANGE BOX AT 11TH ANNUAL INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS . GamesIndustry.biz . 21 January 2024 . February 8, 2008.
- Web site: Bramwell . Tom . LittleBigPlanet cleans up at the AIAS awards . Eurogamer . Gamer Network Limited . 16 October 2022 . February 23, 2009.
- Web site: Little Big Planet wins big at D.I.C.E. . GameSpot . 19 December 2023.
- Web site: Totilo . Stephen . Winners List For 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards . https://web.archive.org/web/20240202155240/https://www.mtv.com/news/61qrib/winners-list-for-12th-annual-interactive-achievement-awards . dead . February 2, 2024 . MTV . Viacom International . 2 February 2024.
- Web site: 2010 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Mattas . Jeff . 2009 Interactive Achievement Award Finalists Announced . Shacknews . Shacknews LTD . 26 December 2022 . January 21, 2010.
- Web site: Brice . Kath . Uncharted 2 victorious at 13th AIAS Awards . GamesIndustry.biz . Gamer Network Limited . 26 December 2022 . February 19, 2010.
- Web site: 2011 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Mass Effect 2 Takes 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards' Game of the Year . IGN . 29 November 2022 . February 11, 2011.
- Web site: Sinclair . Brendan . Red Dead Redemption, Enslaved, God of War lead IAA nominees . GameSpot . 29 November 2022 . January 20, 2011.
- Web site: 2012 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Bertz . Matt . Skyrim Dominates The 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards . https://web.archive.org/web/20120211080547/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/02/09/skyrim-dominates-the-15th-annual-interactive-achievement-awards.aspx . dead . February 11, 2012 . Game Informer . 29 November 2022 . February 9, 2012.
- Web site: Uncharted 3 Leads Nominees For 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards . GameRant . gamerant.com . 29 November 2022 . January 13, 2012.
- Web site: 2013 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Haley . Sebastian . Journey dominates the 2013 D.I.C.E. Awards (full winner list) . VentureBeat . 29 November 2022 . February 7, 2013.
- Web site: 2014 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Taormina . Anthony . 'The Last of Us' Dominates 2014 D.I.C.E. Awards . GameRant . gamerant.com . 29 November 2022 . February 6, 2014.
- Web site: 2015 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: 2015 D.I.C.E. Awards . BrutalGamer . 29 November 2022 . February 6, 2015.
- Web site: 2016 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Pereira . Chris . The 2016 DICE Award Winners [UPDATED] ]. GameSpot . 29 November 2022 . February 19, 2016.
- Web site: 2017 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Albert . Weston . Overwatch Wins Game of the Year at DICE Awards 2017 . GameRant . gamerant.com . 29 November 2022 . February 24, 2017.
- Web site: 2018 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Iyer . Karthik . DICE Awards 2018: Here Are All the Games That Won . Beebom . Beebom Media Private Limited . 29 November 2022 . February 23, 2018.
- Web site: 2019 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Shanley . Patrick . D.I.C.E. Awards: Full Winners List . The Hollywood Reporter . The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. . 29 November 2022 . February 13, 2019.
- Web site: 2020 Award Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Shanley . Patrick . 2020 DICE Awards: 'Untitled Goose Game' Takes Top Honor . The Hollywood Reporter . The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. . 29 November 2022 . April 22, 2021.
- Web site: 2021 Awards Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Skrebels . Joe . D.I.C.E. Awards 2021: All the Winners . IGN . April 22, 2021 . 11 January 2023.
- Web site: 2022 Awards Category Details . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 29 November 2022.
- Web site: Bankhurst . Adam . DICE Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List . IGN . 29 November 2022 . February 25, 2022.
- Web site: Congratulations to the 26th Annual #DICEAwards Finalists . Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . 13 January 2023.
- Web site: Kim . Matt . 26th Annual DICE Awards Game of the Year Nominees Announced . IGN . January 12, 2023 . 13 January 2023.
- Web site: Bankhurst . Adam . DICE Awards 2023 Winners: The Full List . IGN . February 24, 2023 . 25 February 2023.
- Web site: Congratulations to the 27th Annual #DICEAwards Finalist . . interactive.org . 10 January 2024.
- Web site: 2024 Awards Category Details Outstanding Achievement in Character . . interactive.org . 16 February 2024.
