SGS&C awards by target audience: the 2022 category change and winners
From 2022 the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge sorts every entry into Best General Audience Game or Best Government Audience Game, based on who the game is for. The categories were still in use for the 2026 edition.
Updated
What changed in 2022
Before 2022 the contest handed out its top awards by the type of organization that built the game, with separate prizes for business and government developers. The 2022 edition replaced them with two awards defined by audience. Every game qualifies for one of the two, and the funder or developer can be private or public in either case.
The 2022 call opened with finalists to be shown at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, Florida, from November 28 to December 2. Entries closed on September 2, and winners were to be announced on Thursday, December 1.
The two audience awards and the others
The General Audience award covers games built for corporate training, general education, health and healthcare, wellness and public interest work. The Government Audience award covers games built for national or local government or defense, with examples such as military tactics, equipment and procedures, law enforcement, cybersecurity, tactical combat care and triage, veterans' health and affairs, public works and space.
Every game also competes for the Innovation Award, which the contest's Innovation Committee judges at its sole discretion, and for the People's Choice Award, decided by ballots that I/ITSEC attendees drop at the contest's booth on the exhibit floor. Games can also qualify for three eligibility-based prizes: Best Student-Developed Game, Best XR for virtual, augmented and mixed reality, and the Students' Choice Award, in which selected school systems rate games meant for middle and high school students.
What is true today
The contest's awards page still lists Best General Audience Game and Best Government Audience Game as running from 2022 to the present. The Innovation Award and People's Choice are listed from 2016, Best Student Developed Game from 2008, Best XR from 2019 and Students' Choice from 2013. The site announces that submissions for 2026 are closed and points entrants to I/ITSEC 2026.
The 2022 results page shows 17 finalists and 6 winners. Top Derm won Best General Audience Game and Procurify won Best Government Audience Game. The Virtual Reality Simulated Delirium Environment took both the Innovation Award and the People's Choice Award. Pirates of the Sea++ won Best Student-Developed Game, Advanced Haptics Burn Care: Escharotomy won Best XR, and ARIN-561 won the Students' Choice Award.
The 2022 categories
| Award | Who it is for | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Best General Audience Game | Corporate training, general education, health and wellness, public interest | 2022 to present |
| Best Government Audience Game | Government, defense, law enforcement, veterans, public works, space | 2022 to present |
| Innovation Award | Any finalist; judged by the Innovation Committee | 2016 to present |
| People's Choice Award | Any finalist; voted by I/ITSEC attendees | 2016 to present |
| Best Student Developed Game | Student teams | 2008 to present |
| Best XR (VR/AR/MR) | Virtual, augmented and mixed reality games | 2019 to present |
| Students' Choice Award | Games for middle and high school | 2013 to present |
Questions about the SGS&C award categories
How are SGS&C awards decided?
Finalists are chosen first, then a panel of international evaluators judges the winners. The People's Choice Award is the exception and comes from attendee ballots at I/ITSEC.
Which game won Best General Audience Game in 2022?
Top Derm, a dermatology challenge game from Level Ex, won the General Audience award. Procurify, an Army procurement training game, won the Government Audience award.
Do the General and Government awards depend on who paid for the game?
No. The General Audience award is open to games funded by private or government bodies. The audience the game was built for decides the category.