Dragon Quest VII named top interactive digital art

[12.27.00] » Annual Japanese government award goes to Enix's latest RPG.

   Enix's Dragon Quest VII was proclaimed 2000's best work of interactive digital art by the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs. The agency hands out the annual Media Art Festival awards in the categories of interactive digital art, non-interactive digital art, animation, and comics; this year, DQ VII was its top pick in the interactive category. DQ VII "confirmed the true definition of 'role-playing game'," the agency explained, adding that the game ""reminded us again that the origin of a game's fun does not come merely from visual realism."

   Dragon Quest producer Yuji Horii was equally enthused. "The difference with digital media, though, is that it's interactive; it possesses special characteristics that other media don't have," said the creator of Japan's top-selling RPG series. "It might not be too long before something appears in this media that can truly be called 'literature'."

   While the interactive digital art category is not limited to games, one other console time took home a prize: Yu Suzuki's Shenmue was selected as one of four runner-up winners in the category.