New York Game Awards

The New York Game Awards is an annual award show honoring video games by nonprofit New York Videogame Critics Circle. The first awards were held in 2012, honoring previous year's contributions to the video game industry and showcases the group's education work with underserved communities. New York Videogame Critics Circle's stated goals are to promote awareness of, and education for, video games writing and journalism in the New York City area.

History

The New York Videogame Critics Circle was founded in 2011 by writer Harold Goldberg, along with inaugural members Evan Narcisse, Tracey John, Russ Frushtick, and Andrew Yoon. Goldberg received more attention than expected from his book All Your Base Are Belong to Us, including game and film offers. He decided to create an advocacy group in New York, a region he felt was disadvantaged due to its distance from the West Coast. The NYVGCC was created to advocate for its members, and provides classes and mentoring to underserved portions of the New York City community. Its stated goals are to promote awareness of, and education for, video games writing and journalism in the New York City area.
Beginning in 2012, the NYVGCC has hosted an annual awards show that distributes trophies to game studios, individual game contributors, and game journalists. The first awards show was held in 2012 as a collaboration with New York University's Game Center. Since then, the NYVGCC has held annual award ceremonies and has incorporated live music, trailer premieres, and hosting by members of The Daily Show writing staff. Work on the ceremonies begins in February, shortly after the preceding show, and escalates more after Labor Day in September.
In 2019, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé joined the NYVGCC's board of directors to help Goldberg and the group continue its outreach to the DreamYard Prep School, and new initiatives such as classes in Bronxworks network of homeless shelters. In July 2023, Ryan O'Callaghan replaced Goldberg as the board's executive director, while Goldberg remains president.

Ceremonies

Award winners

1st (2012)

The First Annual New York Games Awards took place on February 2, 2012, at New York University's Cantor Film Center. 21 games journalists voted on the award winners, and about 250 guests attended. Logan Cunningham, narrator of Bastion, served as the host. The livestream received roughly 300 views.

Category	Winner
Big Apple Award for Best Game	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game	Portal 2
Battery Park Award for Best Handheld Game	Super Mario 3D Land
Manhattan Award for Most NY-Centric Game	Crysis 2
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game	Bastion
A-Train Award for Best Mobile/iOS Game	Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
Off-Broadway Award for Best Indie Game	Bastion
Statue of Liberty Award for Best Open-World Game	Saints Row: The Third
Great White Way Award for Best Overall Acting in a Game	Portal 2
Algonquin Roundtable Award for Best Book	All Your Base Are Belong to Us by Harold Goldberg
Mad Men Award for Best Videogame Commercial	Long Live Play – Michael

2nd (2013)

The Second Annual New York Game Awards were held at NYU-Poly on February 5, 2013. Writer Daniel Radosh of The Daily Show hosted the event, and musical acts MC Frontalot and Schäffer the Darklord performed.

Category	Winner
Big Apple Award for Best Videogame	The Walking Dead
Herman Melville Award for Best Videogame Writing	The Walking Dead
Battery Park Award for Best Handheld Console Game	Sound Shapes
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music	Journey
The A Train Award for Best Mobile/iOS Game	The Room
The Off Broadway Award for Best Independent Game	The Walking Dead
The Statue of Liberty Award for Best World	Dunwall from Dishonored
The Best Acting	Melissa Hutchison as Clementine (The Walking Dead
Peter Cooper Locomotive Award for Best Game Machine	PS Vita
The Central Park Zoo Award for Best Kids Game	Unfinished Swan

3rd (2014)

The Third Annual New York Game Awards were hosted by Daniel Radosh for the second year in a row. Folk music group Future Folk performed, and Irrational Games premiered a video about the second episode of BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea.

Category	Winner
Big Apple Award for Best Game	The Last of Us
Battery Park Award for Best Handheld Game	The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game	Super Mario 3D World
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing	The Last of Us
A Train Award for Best Mobile Game	Ridiculous Fishing
Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game	Gone Home
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game	BioShock Infinite
Statue of Liberty Award for Best World	Grand Theft Auto V
Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game	Steven Ogg as Trevor (Grand Theft Auto V

4th (2015)

In 2015, the New York Game Awards switched venues and took place at Villain, an event space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The awards show routine was written and hosted by The Daily Shows writing staff.

Category	Winner
Big Apple Award for Best Game	Wolfenstein: The New Order
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing	South Park: The Stick of Truth
Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game	Mario Kart 8
Battery Park Award for Best Handheld Game	Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game	Threes
Statue of Liberty Award for Best World	Far Cry 4
Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game	Shovel Knight
Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake	Grand Theft Auto V
Ebbets Field Award for Best E-Sports Experience	Super Smash Bros. Melee
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game	Transistor
Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game	Trey Parker (South Park: The Stick of Truth

5th (2016)

In 2016, The Daily Show writer Owen Parsons took over writing and hosting the awards. Game studio The Molasses Flood premiered a trailer for The Flame in the Flood, and Wyclef Jean demoed music he contributed to rhythm game Lost in Harmony.

Category	Winner
Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Andrew Yoon Memorial Legend Award	Rockstar Games
Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism	Cara Ellison, Embed With Games
Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game	Super Mario Maker
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game	Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake	Rare Replay
Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game	Rocket League
A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game	Lara Croft Go
Battery Park Award for Best Handheld Game	BoxBoy!
Statue of Liberty Award for Best World	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game	Viva Seifert as Hannah Smith (Her Story
Ebbetts Field Award for Best Esports Team	SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends

6th (2017)

The Sixth Annual New York Game Awards were held at the Abron Arts Center and featured a musical performance by all-women accordion band The Main Squeeze.

Category	Winner
Big Apple Award for Game of the Year	Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game	Mafia III
Andrew Yoon Legend Award	Richard Garriott
Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism	David Wolinsky, Don't Die
Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best VR Game	Superhot
A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game	Pokémon Go
Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game	Rich Sommer as Henry (Firewatch
Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game	Inside
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game	Thumper
Central Park Zoo Award for Best Kids Game	Pokémon Go
Statue of Liberty Award for Best World	Hitman
Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Battery Park Award for Best Handheld Game	Severed
Ebbetts Field Award for Best Esports Team	Cloud9