New interactive honour is ‘the Turner Prize of games’

Video games will get an accolade that wants to be our equivalent of the Turner, Mercury or Booker prize.

While art, music and literature have their own annual prizes picking the best single creation of the year, games do not.

So next month organisers of the October GameCity Festival in Nottingham will host an award judged by a panel of artists from outside of games. Judges include writer and comedian Charlie Higson, MP Tom Watson, musician Nitin Sawhney, actress Frances Barberand Blur drummerDave Rowntree.

They will name the best game from a shortlist of Minecraft, Ilomilo, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Pokmon Black, Portal 2, Child of Eden and Limbo.

We’ve found a jury of culturally curious people, some of whom game, some of whom don’t – but all of whom are smart, interested and articulate,” organiser Iain Simons told MCV.

Barber, who recently appeared in Doctor Who, added: I’m not a huge game player – yet – but as an artist I’m very interested in all forms of cultural expression. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to discover what the world of games might hold for me.”