Game Audio Network Guild Awards Explained

Game Audio Network Guild Awards
Current Awards:
  1. 22nd (2024)22nd Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards
Awarded For:Excellence in video game audio
Host:Game Audio Network Guild
Venue:Moscone Center
Country:United States

The Game Audio Network Guild Awards (shortened to the G.A.N.G. Awards) is an award show that celebrates excellence in video game audio. The awards, which started in 2004, are arranged by the Game Audio Network Guild and held annually during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The first four shows were held at the Fairmont San Jose, before moving to the Moscone Center from the fifth; due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 18th, 19th, and 20th ceremonies were held virtually.

Format

The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards are celebrated annually as part of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The awards are split between music, sound design, and voice acting. Submissions must be released between January 1 and December 31 of the preceding year. Members of the Game Audio Network Guild may submit five nominations for free, with each additional submission costing ; public submissions cost per game. Early access games are ineligible. After the submission deadline passes, the Awards Committee sends the data to the Advisors and Awards Committees to select the nominees. Once the final nominations are selected, the Game Audio Network Guild votes for the winners.

Ceremonies

DateAudio of the YearVenue
March 7, 2003 Fairmont San Jose
March 25, 2004 Call of Duty
March 10, 2005 Halo 2
March 23, 2006 God of War
March 8, 2007 Gears of War Moscone Center
February 21, 2008 BioShock
March 26, 2009 Dead Space
March 11, 2010
March 3, 2011 Red Dead Redemption
March 8, 2012 Battlefield 3
March 28, 2013 Diablo III
March 20, 2014 The Last of Us
March 5, 2015
March 17, 2016 Ori and the Blind Forest
March 23, 2017
March 22, 2018 Cuphead
March 21, 2019 God of War
May 6, 2020 Death Stranding Virtual
April 28, 2021 The Last of Us Part II
May 25, 2022
March 23, 2023 God of War Ragnarök Moscone Center
March 21, 2024

1st (2003)

The first G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 7, 2003, at the Fairmont San Jose. Almost 500 people attended the ceremony. The awards were presented by members of the Game Audio Network guild, including Tommy Tallarico, Clint Bajakian, and Jack Wall, with musical interludes from LoudLouderLoudest!, Orpheus Hanley, the Slackmates, the Ex Lucas Arts Boys, and George "The Fat Man" Sanger.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Industry and Trade

Recognition

2nd (2004)

The second annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 25, 2004, at the Fairmont San Jose in the Regency Ballroom. Tallarico returned to host the ceremony, which took place over two-and-a-half hours. Musical performances included Steve Kirk and the Voodoo Vince Band, LoudLouderLoudest!, the Rockin' hobbit Band, the OneUp Mushrooms, and Dweezil Zappa.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Industry and Trade

Recognition

3rd (2005)

The third annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 10, 2005, at the Fairmont San Jose as part of the Game Developers Conference. led the winners with three awards.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Industry and Trade

Recognition

4th (2006)

The fourth annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 23, 2006, at the Fairmont San Jose. God of War swept most of the major categories.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Industry and Trade

Recognition

5th (2007)

The fifth annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 8, 2007, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

6th (2008)

The sixth annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on February 21, 2008, in the North Hall of the Moscone Center in San Francisco. BioShock swept the ceremony, winning all eight awards for which it was nominated. At the ceremony, a scholarship to Ex'pression College for Digital Arts was awarded to guild member Nathan Rain Schwartz. According to Tallarico, the guild's advisory board took over a month to decide final nominees.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

7th (2009)

The seventh annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 26, 2009, in the North Hall of the Moscone Center as part of the Game Developers Conference. LittleBigPlanet led the nominees with eight nominations. Dead Space won Audio of the Year and Sound Design of the Year, while Afrika won Music of the Year; Wataru Hokoyama, composer of the latter, won Rookie of the Year. Votes were conducted by the 800 members of the guild across 30 countries.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

8th (2010)

The eighth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 11, 2010, at the Moscone Center. Assassin's Creed II and led the nominations with nine each.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

9th (2011)

The ninth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 3, 2011, at the Moscone Center during the Game Developers Conference. The final nominees were decided upon by a 70-person advisory committee, while the winners received votes from the members of the Game Audio Network Guild. More than 350 submissions were considered by the committee across the 14 categories. Red Dead Redemption led the show with ten nominations and five wins.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

10th (2012)

The tenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 3, 2012, at the Moscone Center. Battlefield 3 won the most awards, with three wins, while Bastion, Portal 2, and won two awards each.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

11th (2013)

The eleventh annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 28, 2013, at the Moscone Center. The show was recorded and broadcast via Twitch.

Overall

Music

Sound Design and Voice Acting

Recognition

12th (2014)

The twelfth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 20, 2014, at the Moscone Center. The show was recorded and broadcast via Twitch. The Last of Us led the awards with three wins, while BioShock Infinite received two.

Overall

Music

Sound Design and Voice Acting

Recognition

13th (2015)

The thirteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 5, 2015, at the Moscone Center. George "The Fat Man" Sanger received two standing ovations as he accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

14th (2016)

The fourteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 17, 2016, at the Moscone Center. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture led the nominees with six nominations, followed by Star Wars Battlefront with five and Ori and the Blind Forest with four.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

15th (2017)

The fifteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 23, 2017, at the Moscone Center.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

16th (2018)

The sixteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 22, 2018, at the Moscone Center during the Game Developers Conference.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

17th (2019)

The seventeenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 21, 2019, at the Moscone Center. God of War led the winners with six awards.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

18th (2020)

The eighteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on May 6, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held virtually for the first time. It was hosted by Wilbert Roget, II and Cody Matthew Johnson, and had a pre- and post-show. Death Stranding swept the show with six wins, including Audio of the Year, Sound Design of the Year, and Best Dialogue.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

19th (2021)

The nineteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards took place on April 28, 2021. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the show was held virtually for the second time, hosted by Rachel Ribison and Cody Matthew Johnson. Musical guests included the Video Game Orchestra and 88bit. The Last of Us Part II led the show with 15 nominations and eight wins, followed by Ghost of Tsushima with 14 nominations and five wins, Hades with 12 nominations and three wins, and with 11 nominations. Guy Whitmore received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

20th (2022)

The twentieth annual G.A.N.G. Awards took place on May 25, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the show was held virtually for the third time, hosted by Jason E. Kelley. Musical guests included 88bit and Raphael Batista. led the nominees with ten nominations, and led the winners with four awards, including Audio of the Year. Leslie Ann Jones won the Lifetime Achievement Award, and G.A.N.G. vice president Sabrina Hutchinson won the Distinguished Service Award.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

21st (2023)

The 21st annual G.A.N.G. Awards took place on March 23, 2023. For the first time since 2019, the ceremony returned to the Moscone Center. Submissions opened on December 17, 2022, and nominees were announced on February 9, 2023. Paul Lipson, former G.A.N.G. president, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. God of War Ragnarök won all 14 of its nominations, representing more than half of the awards.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

22nd (2024)

The 22nd Annual G.A.N.G. Awards took place on March 21, 2024, at the Moscone Center, hosted by Fran Mirabella and Morla Gorrondona. Nominees were announced on December 13, 2023. Steve Schnur received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The G.A.N.G. Recognition Award was renamed the Bob Rice Recognition Award in memory of former board member Bob Rice, who died in 2023; it was awarded to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. led the winners with seven awards.

Overall

Music

Sound Design

Voice Acting

Recognition

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