The gaming community was surprised when the post-apocalyptic first-person shooter game 'Destiny' was named the Best Game at the British Game Academy Awards, recently hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). 'Destiny,' developed and published by Bungie following the acclaimed 'Halo' series and overcame stiff competition from other nominees, which included 'Dragon Age: Inquisition,' 'Alien: Isolation,' 'Mario Kart 8,' 'Monument Valley,' and 'Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor.'

Christian Today reports that in accepting the award, Bungie president Harold Ryan thanked the players profusely on behalf of his company.

Ryan said, "It's always a labor of love that we do because of the passion of the fans," adding, "They really are the ones who drive you to put the energy and time into putting the game together."

However, the award prompted mixed reviews, as apart from being named the Best Game, 'Destiny' failed to pick up any award in the other categories. The game was also nominated for the game design, multiplayer, and persistent game awards. Interestingly, 'Destiny' overcame the challenges of several big-budget titles like 'Assassin's Creed Unity' and 'Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,' which also failed to win any awards.

There were some other "upsets" at the British Game Academy Awards. For instance, 'OlliOlli' was named the Best Sport Video game over 'FIFA 15' and 'Forza Horizon 2', while actress Ashley Johnson beat Kevin Spacey for best performance in 'The Last of Us: Left Behind'. Even 'Lumino City's' was named Best Artistic Achievement beating Ubisoft's 'Far Cry 4' and 'Assasin's Creed Unity.'

Incidentally, 'Destiny' was also nominated as the best game of the year at the 2015 Game Developer's Choice Awards and the D.I.C.E. Awards.

For the uninitiated, the BAFTA's British Game Academy Awards showcases the very best in video games across all platforms for the year. This year, as many as 51 games across 17 categories contested for the awards.