Video Game Soundtrack Nominated for Grammy Award

Gear Diary is reader-supported. When you buy through links posted on our site, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. You can learn more by clicking here.

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. That’s the nomination that was just received by Austin Wintory, the composer for Thatgamecompany’s excellent PS3 game Journey. Let me be clear, this is history being made, as this represents the first time that a video game soundtrack has been nominated for the prestigious Grammy AwardWhile the aforementioned category is usually reserved for film scores, it appears that interactive media is also eligible, and that this could become a landmark year for the industry.

This revelatory announcement comes in the wake of MoMA’s recent video game acquisition. Despite the ongoing argument over the validity of games as an art form, it appears that critics have no qualms about game music. Journey is set to compete against a collection of cinema heavyweights, including scores for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, and The Dark Knight Rises. A huge congratulations is in order for Austin Wintory, who tweeted his surprise and excitement last night. @awintory –

Well I don’t really have words right now …. I just got a Grammy nomination for #JourneyPS3

He’ll soon be facing off against world-renowned composers like Hans Zimmer and John Williams, among others.

In-game screen-capture from ‘Journey’ (2012)

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time that Journey has received critical acclaim. The game currently holds a 92 on Metacritic, and received rave reviews upon its release in March 2012. Thatgamecompany, the studio behind the work, is becoming more and more well known for games that break the boundaries of interactive entertainment. Additionally, software created by the studio is often cited in ‘are games art?’ debates, and continues to push the envelope for the medium as a whole.

The 55th Grammy Awards will be televised at 8 PM on February 10th.

For everything interactive and award-winning, keep it locked to geardiary.com

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!

About the Author

Gear Diary Staff
Gear Diary was founded on September 30, 2006, with the goal to create a website that would not easily be labeled. Everyone who is part of Gear Diary is a professional who uses technology in their work and daily lives. On this site, we share our enthusiasm while exploring the gear we use — the equipment that makes our lives easier, more entertaining, more productive, and more manageable. Our hope is that Gear Diary visitors find this site to be a welcoming, friendly, and accessible place to learn about and discuss interesting topics — and not only those that are tech-related! Gear Diary is a place to discover and explore all kinds of new gear, including smartphones, computers, kitchen gadgets, Toys, EDC, camping gear, or even your next new car! You can follow us on Twitter @GearDiarySite.