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Bloom (Technology) -- The 4th Annual Lens Flare Award™ (for gimmicks in a game)
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http://goty.gamespy.com/2004/pc/index16.html
From Gamespy:
The 4th Annual Lens Flare Award(TM) - Bloom
Every year we give the Lens Flare Award(TM) to the new piece of graphical gimmickry that suddenly popped up all over games, with previous winners including ragdoll physics, ground clutter, and (duh!) lens flare. 2004 was a year of great graphical innovations, especially with regards to lighting and shadows, but one particular effect came onto the scene and started appearing everywhere we turned: Bloom.
"Bloom" is an effect created either around light sources or off of brightly lit surfaces, where the light almost seems to bleed from the surface. It makes the lighting look soft and fuzzy, especially bright outdoor lights. It's been used (and Ab-used) in games ranging from Thief: Deadly Shadows to Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. When it's done well -- as it is in Half-Life 2 -- you probably won't even know it's there, as the lighting will appear soft and natural. But love it or hate it, you'd better get used to it. When we saw light blooming off of our sails in Sid Meier's Pirates!, we knew that blooms were here to stay.
