The Last Of Us has picked up yet another prestigious award.
This time it’s the Writer’s Guild of America’s Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Video Games. Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckmann received the award and I say it’s well-deserved.
The other nominees were Batman: Arkham Origins, God of War: Ascension, and Lost Planet 3. There were better examples of game narratives in 2013, but in order to be eligible for this award, the writers in question must be members – or aspiring members – of the WGA’s Videogame Writers Caucus. Membership is only $100/year, but obviously some of the best writers in our industry don’t yet belong to the group.
Druckmann replied to the congratulatory messages on his Twitter page:
Thanks for all the kind words, y’all. Once again I couldn’t be prouder to be a Naughty Dog. Shout out to all my fellow nominees! #WGAawards
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) February 2, 2014
Personally, I say the Bioshock Infinite writers should’ve been honored. I’m not about to discount Naughty Dog’s fine accomplishment, though; the great story was part of TLoU’s undeniable appeal.
Another step towards legitimacy
Awards like this give the game industry a positive headline. Furthermore, many mainstream individuals will likely see this headline, and maybe it will help gaming progress in the eyes of naysayers. Of course, haters will always hate, regardless of awards or accolades.
