Sometimes known as the People’s Gaming Awards, the Golden Joystick Awards were first established in Britain in 1983. It has earned a spot in history as the world's longest-running public-voted video game awards ceremony and continues the streak as we head into the last round of voting. The 41st Golden Joystick Awards Powered by Intel are going to be presented live at Royal Lancaster London on November 10th and can be streamed on social media channels like Twitch and on GamesRadar’s site here. They will be presented by Troy Baker with a number of special guests -we might even get a chance to see some new gaming content in the form of world premieres as the Golden Joystick Awards’ Twitter has suggested! Here is a link to check out the full list of nominations. Be sure to tune in and cheer for your favorites in each category, including your very own Alienware as the Alienware 34 AW3423DWF was nominated for “Best Gaming Hardware”! The first batch of categories was voted on and closed on October 20th and the final round of voting started on October 23rd for the last few categories. 

Cast your vote here by October 30th!

Best Lead Performer

• IIkka Willi and Matthew Porrettaas Alan Wake, Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2
• Ben Starr as Clive Rosfield, Final Fantasy XVI
• Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Ellise Chappell as Kathy Johanson, Deliver Us Mars
• Melanie Liburd as Saga Anderson, Alan Wake 2

Best Supporting Performer

• Ralph Ineson as Cidolfus Telamon, Final Fantasy XVI
• Amelia Tyler as the Narrator, Baldur’s Gate 3
• Neil Newbon as Astarion, Baldur’s Gate 3
• Patricia Summersett as Princess Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Laura Bailey as Mary Jane Watson, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Cissy Jones as Andreja, Starfield
• Idris Elba as Solomon Reed, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Ultimate Game of the Year

• Alan Wake 2
• Sea of Stars
• Street Fighter 6
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Lords of the Fallen
• Assassins Creed Mirage 
• Forza Motorsport
• Metroid Prime Remastered
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Cocoon
• Resident Evil 4
• Starfield
• Dead Space
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Diablo IV
• Hi-Fi Rush

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Alan Wake 2 are both released this month, and that might have put them at a disadvantage if they had not been sequels to two very successful first games. It’s likely that the dedicated fanbases will pull through and vote for their favorite performers and games even if they might have not played the entire game yet. There’s something to be said for loyalty! It's also nice to see a few games in the running for UGOTY that are either AA or Indies. Cocoon has been released for less than 30 days, but it has made quite an impact with its Steam reviews sitting at a rating of Overwhelmingly Positive. Sometimes puzzles really hit the spot for gamers, and this seems to be the case here! Bethesda has their name associated with two games up for UGOTY but only one of them has an overall rating of Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam... and that game is Hi-Fi RUSH. The rhythm-based action game boasts bright, colorful graphics and a flow of gameplay that players have fallen in love with. A game doesn't have to have a might budget to make an impact with gamers!

We’ve had some incredible games released this year, but two games emerged as the leaders of the pack. Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are two of the most nominated games this year, and if you’ve played them, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Both games received glowing reviews and are well-loved within the gaming community. BG3 pulls ahead in nominations as it has two of its captivating and talented cast, Neil Newbon and Amelia Tyler, in the running for “Best Supporting Performer” while the incredible Patricia Summersett represents The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in that category. It’s my estimation that one of these two games will snag the spot of Ultimate Game of the Year, but we will have to wait until November 10th! 

Here's the awards from last year in case you missed them! Which nominees are you rooting for? Let me know in the comments!