The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), a non-profit group founded to advance and recognize audio work in gaming, has celebrated its 10 year anniversary with the announcement of the finalists for the 10th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards, to honor outstanding achievements in the creative, technical, and artistic fields of interactive entertainment.
The finalists in the G.A.N.G. Awards represent the best audio work in gaming from 2011. The G.A.N.G. judges receive contribution from a 70 person Advisory Committee in determining each of the final nominees. The most notable nominees this year include: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception with 9 nominations. Other notable multiple nominees include Battlefield 3, L.A. Noire, Portal 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Final voting has begun and the final winners are chosen by the entire membership of the G.A.N.G. organization. Over 2,000 people representing over 30 countries have signed up as members of G.A.N.G. since its inception in 2002. “It’s hard to believe how far game audio has come in a mere decade since the organization was started,” said Tommy Tallarico, G.A.N.G. Founder, CEO and Chairman. “The talented audio folks in this industry have literally been rewriting the history books in terms of quality and historic significance. 2012 is going to once again be a great year for everyone as game audio continues to surpass expectations, just hearing the quality in all the nominees each year helps to confirm this.” G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson added, “I think being around 10 years says a lot about this organization and the dedication that people in the industry feel towards it. Spotlighting the hard work and talented game audio individuals from around the world has always been a major focus of G.A.N.G. and something we pride ourselves on. A big congratulations to all of the final nominees, it was a difficult task for everyone involved considering the level of talent currently in the game audio field.”
The winners will be announced at the 10th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony, held on Thursday, March 8th, 2011 in San Francisco, CA during the Game Developers Conference. The list of this years nominees are:
AUDIO OF THE YEAR
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Dead Space 2
Gears of War 3
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
MUSIC OF THE YEAR
Batman: Arkham City
InFamous 2
Kinect Disneyland Adventures
L.A. Noire
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR
Battlefield 3
Forza Motorsport 4
Gears of War 3
NCAA Football 12
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
BEST SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
Batman: Arkham City
Dead Space 2
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Dead Space 2
Kinect Disneyland Adventures
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
BEST HANDHELD AUDIO
Death Rally HD
Infinity Blade II
Monster Hunter 3G
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
Super Mario 3D Land
BEST AUDIO IN A CASUAL/INDIE/SOCIAL GAME
Bastion
Conspiracy
Monday Night Combat
Orcs Must Die
Star Wars: Clone War Adventures
WindUp Knight
BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Crysis 2
Gears of War 3
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
BEST DIALOGUE
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
L.A. Noire
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL
“Lacrimosa” – Dead Space 2
“Main Theme” – Deus Ex: Human Revolution
“GameWrapper” – Kinect Disneyland Adventures
“Pirate Dance” – Kinectimals Gold
“Glory, The Galactic Republic” – Star Wars: The Old Republic
“Small Beginnings” – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – CHORAL
“Main Theme” – Batman: Arkham City
“Storm Clouds Over Stalingrad” – Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
“Guardians Theme” – RIFT
“Clash of Destiny” – Star Wars: The Old Republic
“Main Theme” – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – POP
“Rogue Heart” – Dragon Age II
“Torched Song” – L.A. Noire
“Victoria’s Lab” – LittleBigPlanet 2
“Wabby Wabbo” – Plants Vs. Zombies (PS3/XBOX360)
“Want You Gone” – Portal 2
“Kayfoundo Naweea (Hungry Eyes)” – Star Wars: The Old Republic
BEST AUDIO MIX
Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 3
Crysis 2
L.A. Noire
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC
Kinect Disneyland Adventures
LittleBigPlanet 2
MLB 11: The Show
Rocksmith
Shift 2: Unleashed – Need for Speed
Stacking
BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST
Designing the Boot Sound for the Original XBOX
Game Developer Magazine – “Three Erroneous Conceits”
Mixing as Part of the Music Composing Process
Sound Effects Transformation: From This to That
The Use of Voice in Portal 2
The Awards Ceremony will also include the Rookie of the Year award, the Lifetime Achievement Award, the G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards, Student/Apprentice competition winners and the G.A.N.G. Distinguished Service Awards.
