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http://www.critical-distance.com/2017/02/24/the-critical-distance-awards-2017/

Journalist of the Year | Heather Alexandra

In the words of one panel member, seeing Heather’s journey from hard-working freelancer to Kotaku journalist has been amazing. The support for Heather from our nominations panel was overwhelming. She has expressed her informed views on games in a wide variety of media forms, from blog posts to feature articles to videos and podcasts. Heather’s skill, insight, and voice have contributed immensely to the field, and it’s a delight to be able to honor her work here.

• Flow – Minicrit – YouTube Alexandra delves into the zen-like state of game engagement
• im null – The Arcade Review This article uncovers the nihilism and mystery of an unusual title.
• An Important Part Of Video Games Happens Offscreen, In Our Imaginations A remarkable discussion of ellipsis in game narrative.

Video Essayist of the Year | Chris Franklin

The video essay is on the cusp of a renaissance at the moment, and in many ways its language is still being worked out by those working furtively at its frontiers. Franklin’s Youtube channel Errant Signal is something special. It combines excellence in both form and content, with succinct videos that make clear arguments and are always a joy to watch. Without his contributions, video-format games criticism would look very different today.

• Errant Signal – Dark Souls III Pt 2 (Boss/Story Spoilers) – YouTube A collection of short and sweet essays on Dark Souls III
  
• Errant Signal – DOOM 2016 – YouTube Looks at how DOOM creates a sense of pace and power without reiterating the same well-trodden mechanics as the original game.
  
• Mafia 3 (Spoilers) – YouTube Franklin gives an overview of Mafia III’s approach to historical storytelling.

Blogger of the Year | Miguel Penabella

Miguel Penabella’s work is multidisciplinary, informed by discourses about art, cinema, and literature. As I have looked back over his work during 2016, it hit home how skilfully Penabella builds on particular themes across different pieces of writing, without making any single article less comprehensible on its own terms. It’s this delicate balance between seriality and singularity that makes blogging a difficult medium to work in at times, and Penabella appears to navigate it with ease.

• In praise of travelling slowly in Shadow of the Colossus – Thumbsticks Penabella discusses not just the slow pace of movement, but its specific impact in the carefully-honed contexts of specific emotional moments.
• Opened World: Nowhere Fast – Haywire Magazine Three Fourths Home is discussed in conversation with other recent games that make expressive use of American landscapes and nature.
  
• opened world: queerness & movement – haywire magazine A queer reading of a game about cars, bringing in notions of passing as examined in LIM and in Bonnie Ruberg’s reading of Octodad.

For those who don't know, Critical Distance is a weekly curation of 'good writing about games' - "a compendium of the most incisive, thought-provoking, and remarkable discussion in and around games. Our work has helped new writers to find their voice, helped educators to find resources to help their students develop critical thinking, and has helped developers to become more reflexive in their design practice."

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Interesting. Thanks for posting. I knew Errand Signal but not the others.