Cybermania '94

Cybermania '94
Poster by Peter Max
DateNovember 5, 1994 (1994-11-05)
VenueUniversal Amphitheatre
CountryUnited States
Presented by
Highlights
Most winsVoyeur (2)
Most nominationsMegaRace and Myst (3)
Best Overall GameMortal Kombat
Television coverage
NetworkTBS
Runtime2 hours
Viewership1.1% (Nielsen ratings)
Produced byPeter Hayman
Directed bySue Brophey

Cybermania '94: The Ultimate Gamer Awards was the first televised video game awards show. Created by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), the two-hour event was broadcast live on TBS on November 5, 1994, with Leslie Nielsen and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the hosts. Out of twelve award categories, Mortal Kombat won "Best Overall Game". Although the show was received negatively, it was seen by 1.1% of US households and the AIAS produced a less successful follow-up in 1996. Geoff Keighley, who had been part of the production for Cybermania '94, went on to work on video game awards for other networks and created The Game Awards in 2014.