The Last of Us Picks Up Writer's Guild Best Video Game Script Award

[Steven Bogos]

The Last of Us Picks Up Writer's Guild Best Video Game Script Award

The Last of Us beat out Assassin's Creed 4, Batman: Arkham Origins, God of War: Ascension and Lost Planet 3.

Naughty Dog's survival epic The Last of Us has earned more than a few accolades from the gaming world, and now it's picked itself up one from the writing world. Writer Neil Druckmann has won the Writers Guild of America's Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Video Games for his work on the game.

The Last of Us' script beat out the likes of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham Origins, God of War: Ascension and Lost Planet 3. The Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Video Games award honors what the WGA believes to be the best video game script of the past year, with the stipulation that writers must be a member of the WGA in order to be eligible.

The awards were presented during simultaneous 2014 Writers Guild Awards ceremonies on February 1 at the JW Marriott, Los Angeles and the Edison Ballroom, New York City. This year's award nominees consisted of titles released between December 1, 2012 and November 30, 2013.

Past winners of the award include Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, Uncharted 3, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Dead Head Fred.

The Last of Us has been nominated for ever more awards at this year's Game Developer's Choice [http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/] awards ceremony, of which it will no doubt snag quite a few.

So, what say you? Did The Last of Us have the best penned story in 2014, or do you believe another game deserves that honor? Perhaps a game that wasn't eligible like Bioshock: Infinite or Gone Home?

Source: Writer's Guild of America [http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=5399]

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[Zhukov]

Yay.

Not that there was much competition. I mean, Christ, an Assassin's Creed game, the lousy Batman sequel and fricken Lost Planet 3.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yay.

Not that there was much competition. I mean, Christ, an Assassin's Creed game, the lousy Batman sequel and fricken Lost Planet 3.

You forgot GoW: Ascension; that stellar piece of fiction.

Honestly though, I think The Last of Us hinges more on the performances/performance direction than the actual script. Without Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, and without whoever was directing the motion capture, we could've easily ended up with something along the lines of Tomb Raider.

Still very well written, especially the characters, but for me it was all the little notes where the writing really shined.

 

[hermes]

Those awards are meaningless... Not to diminish the script of TLOU, but given the competition, its not like it was specially hard to get the top price.

 

[Fox12]

Wow. What golden accolades. To be counted amongst the likes of... Force Unleashed. Maybe the writers will do what Neil Gaiman did with his dumb award, and use it as a doorstop.

I never really respected the writers guild, but... really?

 

[Sniper Team 4]

This is what happens when you have so many rules in a union, deciding who or what can be entered. I remember when the contestants were first announced on this site. I read the list and knew there had to be a catch. Sure enough, your company has to belong to this group for the game to be considered.

Honestly, I would have been more surprised if The Last of Us didn't win. Surprised, and horrified. I think it is one of the best storylines I've played this year. I would have liked to see it go up against other great games, without all the politics and other stuff getting in the way.

 

[ally2264]

Wow, what an accomplishment, such an intense competition.

This is honestly insulting that they basically only deem last of us the only game with any kind of writing skill, ignoring the likes of portal, stanley parable, even bioshock didn't get a mention.

Someone needs to make new game awards actually worth a damn.

 

[Animyr]

Limboed under such a low bar there, huh? And, as others have pointed out...really? The runner ups were a bunch of pulpy action sequels?

Though I suppose better this then it actually losing.

 

[Strazdas]

With consdieration for other contestants its as much an achievement as a man with two legs winning in a race against people hopping on one leg. as in, not much to compete now was there?