Results of the 2022 IFDB Awards!

[mathbrush (Brian Rushton)]

The awards are in! There were some surprising changes even in the last day of voting, and many of the polls that had too few votes rocketed past the minimum requirements (especially the Language categories, thanks to every one who helped there!)

All polls should now be closed. As I’m doing this solo this time, it’s possible there may be errors in the posted results. Please let me know any that you see!

You may notice some discrepancies between the listed number of votes for a game and the number of little ‘plus signs’ below. This is due to several games receiving votes from accounts that violated the IFDB terms of service. The number of ‘plus signs’ is the true number of votes.

I plan on posting again about my overall thoughts (probably in this thread, but not if it gets too crowded). Thanks to everyone who participated, and looking forward to next year!

Overall Categories

Outstanding Game of the Year - Player’s Choice

• According to Cain, by Jim Nelson

Outstanding Game of the Year 2022 - Author’s Choice

• The Spectators, by Amanda Walker

Outstanding Debut of 2022 - Player’s Choice - an IFDB Poll
Tie:

• The Passenger, by Jime Rolón
• A Long Way to the Nearest Star, by SV Linwood

Outstanding Debut of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• A Long Way to the Nearest Star, by SV Linwood

Outstanding Game over 2 hours in 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• According to Cain, by Jim Nelson

Outstanding Short Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Use Your Psychic Powers at Applebee’s, by Geoffrey Golden

Outstanding Short Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Esther’s, by Brad Buchanan and Alleson Buchanan

Outstanding Underappreciated Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

Tie:

• Quintessence, by Lapin Lunaire Games
• Cannelé & Nomnom - Defective Agency, by Younès R. & Yazaleea

Outstanding Underappreciated Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Quintessence, by Lapin Lunaire Games

Most Sequel-worthy game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Lady Thalia and the Rose of Rocroi, by E. Joyce and N. Cormier

Most Sequel-worthy Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Custard & Mustard’s Big Adventure, by Christopher Merriner

Outstanding Feelies of 2022 - Player’s Choice
Tie:

• The Last Christmas Present, by JG Heithcock

• New Year’s Eve, 2019, by Autumn Chen

Outstanding Feelies of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• New Year’s Eve, 2019, by Autumn Chen

Trailblazer Award of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Trigaea, by RynGM

Trailblazer Award of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• A Chinese Room, by Milo van Mesdag

Outstanding Worldbuilding of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• The Archivist and the Revolution, by Autumn Chen

Outstanding Use of Interactivity in 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Cannelé & Nomnom - Defective Agency, by Younès R. & Yazaleea

Outstanding Use of Interactivity in 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Fairest, by Amanda Walker

Outstanding Retro Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Alchemist’s Gold, by Garry Francis

Outstanding Retro Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• The Mystery of Markham Manor, by Edward P. Toovey

Language Based Polls

Outstanding German Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• Schief, by Olaf Nowacki

Outstanding Spanish Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• El Virulé, by paravaariar

Outstanding French Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• La Princesse spéculaire, by Nathanaël Marion

Outstanding French Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Une soirée costumée, by Julien Zamor

Genre Polls

Outstanding Fantasy Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• Fairest, by Amanda Walker

Outstanding Horror Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• Sweetpea, by Sophia de Augustine

Outstanding Humor Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Wry, by Olaf Nowacki

Outstanding Humor Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice
Tie:

• Gent Stickman vs Evil Meat Hand, by AZ / ParserCommander
• Wry, by Olaf Nowacki

Outstanding Mystery Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Things that Happened in Houghtonbridge, by Dee Cooke

Outstanding Mystery Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice
Tie:

• Things that Happened in Houghtonbridge, by Dee Cooke
• The Thirty Nine Steps, by Graham Walmsley

Outstanding Science Fiction Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• The Archivist and the Revolution, by Autumn Chen

Outstanding Slice of Life Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• New Year’s Eve, 2019, by Autumn Chen

Outstanding Surreal Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• The Impossible Stairs, by Mathbrush

Outstanding Surreal Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Nose Bleed, by Stanley W. Baxton

System-based polls

Outstanding Inform 7 Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• The Spectators, by Amanda Walker

Outstanding Inform 7 Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Of Their Shadows Deep, by Amanda Walker

Outstanding Inform 6 Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Alchemist’s Gold, by Garry Francis

Outstanding Inform 6 Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice
Tie

• Alchemist’s Gold, by Garry Francis
• Into The Sun, by Dark Star

Outstanding Adventuron Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• Things that Happened in Houghtonbridge, by Dee Cooke

Outstanding Twine Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• The Grown-Up Detective Agency, by Brendan Patrick

Outstanding Twine Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Computerfriend, by Kit Riemer

Outstanding Choicescript Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice
TIe:

• The Passenger, by Jime Rolón
• THROW. MARIA. OVERBOARD., by Travis Moy

Outstanding Choicescript Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• THROW. MARIA. OVERBOARD., by Travis Moy

Outstanding Adrift Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice
Tie:

• Lost Coastlines, by William Dooling
• The Euripides Enigma, by Larry Horsfield

Outstanding Adrift Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Lost Coastlines, by William Dooling

Outstanding Game in a Custom System in 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• Uncle Mortimer’s Secret, by Jim MacBrayne

Outstanding Game in an Uncommon System in 2022 - Player’s Choice

• The Impossible Stairs, by Mathbrush

Outstanding Game in an Uncommon System in 2022 - Author’s Choice

• The Archivist and the Revolution, by Autumn Chen

Outstanding PunyInform Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Alchemist’s Gold, by Garry Francis

Outstanding PunyInform Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Carpathian Vampire, by Garry Francis

Outstanding Ink Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice

• Prism, by Eliot M.B. Howard

Outstanding Ink Game of 2022 - Author’s Choice

• Use Your Psychic Powers at Applebee’s, by Geoffrey Golden

[ChristopherMerriner (Christopher)]

Wow! What a dazzling list of winners. Congratulations everyone! And thanks, Brian, for putting in all of the effort to make this work.

[manonamora (Manon)]

Congrats to all winner! All deserved!
Thanks Brian for organising this, this was really fun to be part of!

[DeusIrae (Mike Russo)]

Wow, what a great group of games - and the ones I haven’t played yet look great, too bad are going right on the to-play list. Congrats to the winners and thanks so much Brian for the blood sweat and tears to create this thing!

(And I’m excited to see that from the most sequel-worthy results, in addition to Lady 3ia we can also look forward to 2 Custard 2 Mustard!)

[fos1]

A great listing of Authors! Very well chosen!

[sophia (Sophia de Augustine)]

@mathbrush

Outstanding Horror Game of 2022 - Player’s Choice and Author’s Choice

• Sweetpea, by Sophia de Augustine

Congratulations to everymeowdy! I’m kind of in abject shock over this one- there were tons of great entries in both lists, but lots of hugs and kisses. Thanks so much Brian for all your work organizing everything!

[AmandaB]

@DeusIrae

(And I’m excited to see that from the most sequel-worthy results, in addition to Lady 3ia we can also look forward to 2 Custard 2 Mustard!)

I think Melpomene and the dogs should team up. That would keep Thalia on her toes.

[Encorm (N. Cormier)]

I was just about to suggest a crossover but @AmandaB beat me to the punch! That said, if Thalia is anything she’s definitely a cat person so the dogs would almost certainly give her trouble.

[ramstrong (Harry Hardjono)]

@mathbrush

Poll

• No winner (4-way tie)

So, 4 winners? Who are they?

[manonamora (Manon)]

I went through the poll and only counted 3, instead of 4 : The Passenger, The Fernweh Saga, and A Long Way to the Nearest Star.

[rovarsson]

Thanks @mathbrush for putting this together. Your dedication to IF is very much appreciated.
It looks like the IFDB Awards worked out pretty much as intended, giving credit to lots of games in otherwise less-used categories and also giving some games an extra shot at the title in more common categories.
(@jnelson 's Cain! Yesss…)

@Encorm

if Thalia is anything she’s definitely a cat person so the dogs would almost certainly give her trouble.

I’d confidently wager it would be the other way 'round.

[StJohnLimbo]

Congratulations everyone, and thank you, @mathbrush, for the organisation!

Special shout-outs to

• @jnelson for the win with the excellent According to Cain!

• @cchennnn, @Warrigal, and @OlafNowacki for being represented at the top with two games each, and @AmandaB with three (!) different games, kudos!

@manonamora

I went through the poll and only counted 3, instead of 4 : The Passenger, The Fernweh Saga, and A Long Way to the Nearest Star.

Looking at the plus signs, I see four games having five signs each: the three you mentioned, and The Thick Table Tavern.

[manonamora (Manon)]

@StJohnLimbo

and The Thick Table Tavern.

This one doesn’t count. TTTT was not my debut as an IF creator it shouldn’t have been on the list to begin with (I did mention it to Brian, but someone had added it to the list anyway)

[StJohnLimbo]

Ah, okay, I see! Yeah, then it’s a three-way tie.

[AdventureSnack (Geoffrey Golden)]

Congratulations, everyone! What a terrific group of games. Thanks for organizing, @mathbrush. I’m thrilled to call my IF newsletter Adventure Snack “award winning.”

One question: Outstanding Humor (Player’s Choice) appears to be a tie between Wry and Psychic Applebee’s, unless I’m missing something?

[mathbrush (Brian Rushton)]

There was exactly one vote for Applebees that was disqualified (next year I think we can make the total votes shown not include disqualified votes). If the disqualification was in error and the owner of that vote contacts the ifdb team to get reinstated, the game could retroactively be added in as a tie.

[AdventureSnack (Geoffrey Golden)]

Thanks for the clarity. My player base tends to be a lot of outlaws, punks, miscreants, and loose cannons who play by their own rules, so I’m not fully surprised.

[mathbrush (Brian Rushton)]

I’m pretty sure it was just collateral damage (most of the group voted in a bloc for one specific slate of games and then had some random votes on other stuff).

Congrats for getting one of the highest votes totals for any game in any of the categories; I think your 12 votes for Best Short game was more than any game got in any poll except According to Cain for best game.

[malacostraca (Sarah W.)]

Congratulations to all the winners! I’m excited to play some of the games I saw in the polls that I’d missed the first time around—2022 sure was a good year for IF.

[jnelson (Jim Nelson)]

What a great way to wake up this fine Saturday morning. Thank you to everyone who voted for According to Cain!

Congratulations to all nominees and winners. And thank you, Brian, for putting in a ton of effort to make this happen. By all measures, the IFDB Awards’ inaugural year was a success.