The awards were arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and were held at Polly Esther's in San Jose, California on March 22, 2001 (2001-03-22).
It was hosted by Martin Lewis, and featured presenters included Scott Campbell, Louis Castle, Tony Goodman, Lorne Lanning, Sid Meier, Ray Muzyka, Gabe Newell, Chris Taylor, Will Wright, and Greg Zeschuk.
[2] Diablo II won the ceremony's top honor with "Game of the Year".
Electronic Arts received the most nominations and won the most awards, some of which were for publishing SquareSoft games outside of Japan.
John Carmack, lead programmer of id Software titles Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake, was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.