Video Game Awards: the best of 2023

The Video Game Awards are a night for gamers worldwide to put down their controllers and honor the year’s gaming achievements. In 2023, the show was viewed by over 118 million streams, the most in its history. With celebrity presentations from Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet for the Video Game of the Year 2023 award, the players voice award, and the Game Award for Best Performance.

Now, since Voice123 is the home of the best video game voice actors – to honor the Video Games Awards 2023, this post will explore what are the Video Game Awards, the relationship between video game awards and voice overs, and how to create games worthy of the prestigious award – Video Game of the Year 2023.

Welcome gamers of all genres and industries to the Video Game Awards 2023!

What are the Video Game Awards

The Video Game Awards are an award ceremony held yearly to recognize the technical, directorial, and creative achievements of game developers, producers, and voice actors in the video game industry. It features categories like Best Narrative, Best Performance, the Game of the Year Award, the Players Voice Award, and the Game Award for Best Performance. There are also upcoming game premieres, exciting gaming announcements, musical performances, and celebrity presentations.

The Video Games Awards have a multi-faceted judging process where 100 global media outlets and influencer publications form a jury that votes across 30 categories. This counts for 90% of the vote, with the other 10% coming from public votes. While public voting draws millions of submissions globally, these are based on fan sentiments and preferences. The jury panel, however, spends thousands of hours during the year considering game design, technical achievement, storytelling, and player experience. Both votes are combined to reach a unanimous decision. Now, let’s look at some of the 2023 video games award winners.

Video Game Awards Winners 2023

The Video Game Awards 2023 top performer was Baldur’s Gate 3, which led with nine nominations and six wins – including Game of the Year 2023 and the Game Award for Best Performance by Neil Newbon. Alan Wake 2 followed with eight nominations, winning three video game awards for Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and Best Game Direction. Special announcements and releases were made for around 62 games, including debuts for new games like Marvel’s Blade, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, and Visions of Mana. During the 2022 Video Games Awards, the Game of the Year award went to Elden Ring. Christopher Judge won the game award for best performance in God of War Ragnarök, which also won for best narrative and best audio design.

Here’s a breakdown of the 5 best Video Games Awards 2023.

Game of the Year 2023

Baldur’s Gate 3 won the Video Game of the Year 2023 award for the best gaming experience in creative and technical fields. The game had 5 other wins, including the Players Voice Award, Best Multiplayer Game, Role Playing Game, Performance, and Community Support – selling over 2.5 million copies.

Best Game Direction 2023

Alan Wake 2 won the Best Game Direction award for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design. It also had 2 more wins for Best Narrative and Art Direction. The game was praised for it’s intense gameplay and a twisty, dark story – ranking first on Time’s top 10 best video games of 2023 list.

Game Award for Best Performance 2023

Neil Newbon won the Game Award for Best Performance for voice acting, motion, and performance capture for this role as Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3. Newbon’s charming, sarcastic wit enhances the confident nobleman’s smug haughtiness, balancing his ruthlessness with a sense of morality – you can find similar talented video game voices on Voice123.

Best Narrative 2023

Alan Wake 2 was awarded Best Narrative, acknowledging outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game. Wake was praised for weaving two stories together—the one of Alan Wake trapped after the first game’s events and the story of newcomer Saga Anderson. And Alan’s attempt to escape the Dark Place influences Saga’s investigation.

Best Audio Design 2023

Hi-Fi Rush won the award for Best Audio Design, recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design. The game was released in January 2023 and reached 3 million players within a few months. In addition to the award, it was also praised for its visual style, art direction, humor, characters, and combat sequences.

Most Anticipated Game 2024

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth won the award for Most Anticipated Game, identifying an announced game with the potential to push the gaming medium forward. This sequel game is set to release on February 29th, 2024, and it follows its predecessors with gameplay that combines real-time action with strategic and role-playing elements.

How to create video games that win awards

1. Concentrate on gameplay because it’s the core of any game. Include activities like challenges, interactions, rules, mechanics, and objectives that are exciting and engaging to hold players’ attention.
2. Tell a compelling story that captures the imagination, pulls at heartstrings, and makes audiences feel like their actions shape the gaming character. With believable narratives, players relate better to characters.
3. Create a unique visual style to make the game stand out in a crowded market. Invest in unique, high-quality graphics, animation, and visual effects that enhance the playing experience. 
4. Add sound effects and background music, whether it’s ambient piano music or moody wind instruments, uplifting horns, or an accordion. Different sounds and music create an immersive gaming atmosphere. 
5. Build a passionate team of talented game developers who share your vision and are committed to delivering the best possible product. This guarantees shared investments where the whole team succeeds.
6. Use engaging voice overs: to add gaming intrigue. Consider the character’s longevity and how the voice actor will represent your brand in the future. Choose a talented video game voice actor from Voice123 for your next gaming project.

How to choose voice overs for award-winning games

A game without a human element has no personality – it’s just static text and sound effects. So, to make a best-selling video game, you need to choose the right voice. First, analyze your game’s storyline, setting, themes, and characters to identify their emotions, personality traits, and backgrounds. Second, consider the game’s tone: is it serious, comedic, or dark, and how should the voices complement it? Third, develop character profiles, including age, gender, accent, personality traits, quirks, and motivations. And fourth, prepare sample dialogues capturing each character’s essence. This helps you decide if you need Joel’s no-nonsense, authoritative twang for a dramatic game like The Last of Us or Scream’s Rodger L. Jackson’s Ghostface voice for a sinister character. Ultimately, the voice you choose should resonate with your audience – and you can find these amazing voices on Voice123.

Final thoughts on video game awards

The Video Games Awards 2023 were a night of laughter, tears, and epic gaming creations. We can’t even fault the excited guy who randomly yelled, “YEAH, BABY!”. So, if you want to be the next Baldur’s Gate 3 and create a video game that wins the award for Video Game of the Year 2024, focus on gameplay, a compelling story, unique visuals, awesome sound effects and background music, a passionate team, and using engaging voice overs.

But now that you’ve got the latest video game award breakdown, it’s time to make your own gaming creation shine by working with the incredible vocal talent on Voice123 or hiring our professional Managed Services to handle the entire project.

Because the next Game of the Year award could just be yours!

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