At this year's 2012 Game Developers Conference the 12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards will be presented to thousands of representatives from the gaming community. Many of the games nominated come as no surprise, but this is not the Spike Video Game Awards (see the Spike VGA 2011 winners here) and the outcome may be a little unexpected compared to the commercialism of Spike's award show.

Portal 2, Skyrim, and Batman: Arkham City are just a few of the games (as expected) earned multiple nominations, but Uncharted 3 - even as acclaimed as it was - is not in the running for "Game of the Year." Other titles with multiple nominations include L.A. Noire, Battlefield 3, and Bastion.

There are no limitations as to which games are nominated, and the winners will be selected by a group known as the International Choice Awards Network, an invitation-only committee housing 500 leading game creators from all over the industry.

The Game Developers Choice Awards committee will also be announcing its Special Award recipients before the ceremony, including honorees for the Pioneer, Ambassador and Lifetime Achievement Special Awards. There will also be a special reveal as to the identity of this year's Game Developers Choice Awards host.

Check out the list of nominees for the 12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards:

Game of the Year

  • Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady Studios)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
  • Portal 2 (Valve)
  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montreal)
  • Dark Souls (From Software)

Best Game Design

  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo)
  • Portal 2 (Valve)
  • Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady Studios)
  • Dark Souls (From Software)

Innovation

  • Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Toys For Bob)
  • Portal 2 (Valve)
  • Bastion (Supergiant Games)
  • Johann Sebastian Joust (Die Gute Fabrik)
  • L.A. Noire (Team Bondi)

Best Technology

  • Battlefield 3 (DICE)
  • L.A. Noire (Team Bondi)
  • Crysis 2 (Crytek Frankfurt/UK)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
  • Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog)

Best Handheld/Mobile Game

  • Tiny Tower (NimbleBit)
  • Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo)
  • Jetpack Joyride (Halfbrick)
  • Infinity Blade II (Chair Entertainment)
  • Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (Capy Games/Superbrothers)

Best Audio

  • Bastion (Supergiant Games)
  • LittleBigPlanet 2 (Media Molecule)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
  • Dead Space 2 (Visceral Games)
  • Portal 2 (Valve)

Best Downloadable Game

  • Stacking (Double Fine)
  • From Dust (Ubisoft Montpellier)
  • Bastion (Supergiant Games)
  • Outland (Housemarque)
  • Frozen Synapse (Mode 7)

Best Narrative

  • Portal 2 (Valve)
  • The Witcher 2 (CD Projekt RED)
  • Bastion (Supergiant Games)
  • Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog)
  • Saints Row: The Third (Volition)

Best Debut

  • Supergiant Games (Bastion)
  • Team Bondi (L.A. Noire)
  • Re-Logic (Terraria)
  • BioWare Austin (Star Wars: The Old Republic)
  • Eidos Montreal (Deus Ex: Human Revolution)

Best Visual Arts

  • Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog)
  • Rayman Origins (Ubisoft Montpellier)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
  • El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (Ignition Japan)
  • Battlefield 3 (DICE)

All of the winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at the Game Developers Conference in San Francsisco on March 7th at 6:30 pm at the Moscone Convention Center. For more information on the 12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, please visit the official site of the GDC 2012 Awards.

Who do you feel will win this year's GDC awards?

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Source: Gamasutra

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