Czech Radio's play grabs a win at the Prix Europa Festival!
Czech Radio's interactive audio project Chess Game won first place at the prestigious international competition Prix Europa in the Interactive Media category. The chess game was created in cooperation with the Světluška Foundation and the studio PlayByEars. It is unique in that even those with visual impairment can play the game. The Prix Europa Festival took place in Berlin from 22 to 27 October.
"The victory is a phenomenal success and shows that Czech Radio is an important part of radio production in Europe and the world. The fact that Chess Game has been shortlisted for the 75th Prix Italia international competition can also be seen as a harbinger of this victory," said René Zavoral, Director General of Czech Radio.
Individual nominations for the Prix Europa are evaluated by representatives of the nominated works themselves throughout the week, and the final winner is then chosen by a secret ballot. In the case of Chess Game, the jury especially appreciated the topic of Alzheimer's disease, which the project highlights and explores. The game was shortlisted for the Prix Europa along with 180 other entries. A total of 611 entries were submitted for the competition this year from 240 media organizations.
Chess Game was presented at the Prix Europa festival by programmer Michal Zátopek. The Taurus Bull statue, the most esteemed European trophy for TV and radio broadcasters, was awarded to creative producer Kateřina Rathouská. "I am so pleased that we won the Prix Europa. The award is officially named the Best European Interactive Media Project and I am looking forward to working with my colleagues Tomáš Oramus and Michal Zátopek on further similar interactive projects," said Kateřina Rathouská.
The memory audio game, which will be appreciated by both sighted and blind players, follows the gaming principles of the first ever Czech audio game, Důkaz 111, but places more emphasis on the use of sound as a game mechanic. Players are guided by individual sounds and compose their own story by navigating through and choosing their sounds. The game is only available in the Czech-language original, in which the characters are voiced by Taťjana Medvecká, Jaroslav Plesl, Igor Bareš and Elizaveta Maximová.
The play introduces the protagonist Klára, who regularly sits down for a game of chess with her nurse. Players use the moves on the chessboard to help the heroine unravel old memories and rediscover her real story.
The game uses binaural audio with Sennheiser Ambeo technology, a surround sound headset that delivers the ultimate authentic experience. With simple swiping controls via fingers across the screen, you can play anytime, anywhere.