Web3 gaming awards event the GAM3 Awards, hosted by Polkastarter Gaming, announced 16 winners at a live event on December 15. 

According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, prize winners will share over $1 million in prizes sponsored by companies such as Immutable X, Blockchain Game Alliance, Machinations, Ultra, Naavik, Galxe, Hacken, Venly, HackenProof, Shorooq, Elixir, Arcade and MetaCon.

Games were judged based on a range of criteria, such as core loop, graphics, accessibility, replayability factor, fun elements, and overall playing experience. Although the focus was on playability, eligibility for awards largely depended on whether the nominated games used blockchain technology in some form. 

An international jury made up of gaming, media and web3 outlets was responsible for selecting the nominees. 

Award winners included Big Time, which won both Game of the Year and Best Adventure Game; Shrapnel, which was awarded the Most Anticipated Game; Star Atlas, which won the Best Graphics category, and Thetan Arena, which was named the Best Mobile Game. The winners for other categories included Blankos Block Party, Illuvium, Superior, MetalCore, Gods Unchained, EV.io, Brycent, League of Kingdoms and The Harvest.

Related: Gamers are more interested in earning Bitcoin than NFTs: Survey

Despite the sudden implosion of FTX and its cascading effects on the entire web3 ecosystem, the blockchain gaming niche still appears to be thriving.

According to analytics service DappRadar, “In October and November, gaming activity accounted for almost half of all blockchain activity” tracked across 50 networks, "with 800,875 daily Unique Active Wallets (UAW) interacting with games’ smart contracts in November.”

The report also revealed that blockchain games raised over $320 million in November, indicating excitement and potential growth of the Web3 gaming industry.