It’s safe to say that anyone these days can have a video game awards event. Some people you trust more than others when it comes to dishing out awards, and some get an eyeball rolling so hard that you’re likely to pop your peepers out in the process. But one show that does carry some weight every year, are the Game Developers Choice Awards. These are the guys and gals within the industry itself that vote on what they consider to be the best of the best every year. Here’s a look at who is rocking what nomination this year.
This year, it looks like Journey, The Walking Dead and Dishonored are getting the most love. There’s a new narrative category this year as well, something that will no doubt please the legion of Spec Ops: The Line fans out there. It’s a diverse list via Kotaku, with plenty of competition. But it’s a damn good showing of quality from 2012. The awards take place on March 27, at the Game Developers Conference. Who do you think deserves an award from the following list?
Best Audio
- Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Hotline Miami (Dennaton Games/Devolver Digital)
- Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
- Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)
Best Debut
- Humble Hearts (Dust: An Elysian Tail)
- Fireproof Games (The Room)
- Polytron Corporation (Fez)
- Giant Sparrow (The Unfinished Swan)
- Subset Games (FTL: Faster Than Light)
Best Game Design
- Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Mark Of The Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)
- Spelunky (Derek Yu/Andy Hull)
- Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Firaxis Games/2K Games)
Best Downloadable Game
- The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)
- Spelunky (Derek Yu/Andy Hull)
- Trials: Evolution (RedLynx/Microsoft Studios)
- Mark Of The Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)
- Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)
Best Technology
- Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
- PlanetSide 2 (Sony Online Entertainment)
- Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Treyarch/Activision)
- Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
- Gravity Rush (SCE Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Hero Academy (Robot Entertainment)
- Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- The Room (Fireproof Games)
- Kid Icarus: Uprising (Sora/Nintendo)
Best Narrative
- Spec Ops: The Line (Yager Entertainment/2K Games)
- Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
- Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)
- Virtue’s Last Reward (Chunsoft/Aksys Games)
Best Visual Arts
- Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software/2K Games)
- Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
- Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)
Innovation
- Mark of the Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)
- Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- FTL: Faster Than Light (Subset Games)
- The Unfinished Swan (Giant Sparrow/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- ZombiU (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft)
Game of the Year
- Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)
- Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Firaxis Games/2K Games)
- Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)
Go Borderlands 2! WIN ALL THE AWARDS! (This post was beaten by Call of Duty Black Ops 2 for best article about an awards show by a panel of judges)
Last Updated: January 25, 2013
