Ivor Novello Awards recognise game scores

The Ivor Novello Awards, which celebrate excellence in music composition, have confirmed plans to recognise video game scores for the first time.

According to The Times, the prestigious awards ceremony will this year include a 'Best Original Video Game Score' category to acknowledge the growing sophistication in game soundtracks.

The Novello committee said that the compositional skills involved in creating music for major games - often factoring in full orchestras and famous names - means that it deserves to have parity with scores for film or television.

"The Ivors has always sought to reflect the ever-changing world of songwriting and composing," said Mark Fishlock, a member of the selection committee.

"The video games market has matured beyond recognition and big budget orchestral scores are regularly being commissioned.

"Writing music for games also requires a number of specialist skills compared with conventional film scoring, such as non-linear and multi-layered composition."

Video game entries are now being accepted by the Novello committee, with any commercial release up for consideration ahead of the awards ceremony in May.