Grammy Awards to formally recognize 'video game music' for several awards

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has altered four of its annual awards, making it clearer that video games can be nominated for the category. As IndustryGamers notes, although it's a minor alteration, it's a big deal that video games are getting equal recognition with film and television. The four awards amended by the Academy are:

• The Music for Visual Media (Motion, Television, Video Game Music, or Other Visual Media)
• Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (Motion, Television, Video Game Music, or Other Visual Media)
• Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Motion, Television, Video Game Music, or Other Visual Media)
• Best Song Written for Visual Media (Motion, Television, Video Game Music, or Other Visual Media)

Previously, video games fell under "other visual media." Bill Freimuth, VP of the awards for the academy, recognizes this as a first step for video games receiving its own category. "Many people from the game community have been asking us to create a special category for games over the years, but the main reason we haven't is because we have received very few entries from game publishers," he said.

This year, Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu" was the first piece of "video game music" to win a Grammy, though it was in a category that had nothing to do with visual arts and was given years after the work was originally composed for Civilization 4.