Three of the world's top designers of videogames were honoured in France this week, Shigeru Miyamoto, Michel Ancel and Frederick Raynal being awarded knighthoods from the Order of Arts and Letters in Paris today. The three designers are the first to be awarded under the order, which dishes out up to 200 new knighthoods every year.

Miyamoto is of course arguably the world's foremost game designer, having crafted titles like and for Nintendo. Ubisoft's Ancel meanwhile is the brains behind Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil and King Kong. Raynal is credited with inventing the Alone in the Dark series, and has played a key role in the French games industry.

French Culture Minister Renard Donnedieu de Vabres will present the awards, and this acceptance of interactive entertainment could well open the door for similar in the future. (Lionhead) and Jez San (Argonaut) have been awarded OBE's by Queen Elizabeth in recent years, further demonstrating the growing importance of gaming as a mainstream concern.

By Luke Guttridge