Since the 1950s, the Hugo Awards have been responsible for highlighting the best works of science fiction and, to a lesser extent, fantasy in the world of literature. In 2021, the World Science Fiction Society decided to expand into the world of video games and presented its first Hugo Award to Hades.
The decision to include video games in the 2021 awards is due to a recognition of their popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers clarified that it is a special award that will only be awarded once. However, there is a proposal to include a permanent category in the Hugo Awards for “best video game or interactive experience” that is currently being evaluated.
The nominees for the Hugo award for best video game were Spiritfarer, The Last of Us 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Hades Y Blaseball. Greg Kasavin, the winner’s writer, spoke in his prerecorded speech about the importance of the award and welcomed the recognition.
Hades is not a science fiction game, but a fantasy game. In this, Zagreo – son of the god of the underworld Hades – decides to flee from his father’s kingdom after discovering that the truth about his mother was hidden from him. He has the support of the Olympian gods who lend him their powers, but escaping from the land of the dead implies that he must die again and again until he reaches Greece.
You can read our review of this excellent title here.
Fountain: WorldCon 2021
