With the award ceremony looming, many nominees appear to be anything but nervous - at least from what we can gather from the photos.

Instead, they're busy snapping selfies and mingling with the crowd.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter, reporting from the awards venue

On the red carpet, I meet TikTok star and gamer Holly Bennet, who is presenting one of the awards today.

She's wearing a gold spider necklace. Holly runs a Dungeons and Dragons YouTube channel with a group called Natural Six.

“The big thing is the web is wide,” she tells me. “There is a secret organisation called the web, and we work for the Spider Prince. I am wearing this spider necklace and bracelet to represent the Dungeons and Dragons show.”

Laura Cress
BBC World Service, reporting from the awards venue

Image source, Playstack

Among the movers and shakers of the gaming industry expected to turn out for tonight's awards, might we finally get a glimpse of Balatro's elusive creator?

Going only by the name of LocalThunk, the developer of one of 2024's certified hits has so far chosen to remain relatively anonymous.

Despite the occasional interview, the indie dev hasn't given much away about himself or his appearance, keeping his name out of the game's credits and telling GamesRadar, "This game isn't my identity – at least, I don't want it to be."

With four nominations for Balatro, we're hoping to finally meet the man behind the indie magic on the red carpet tonight!

Laura Cress
BBC World Service, reporting from the awards venue

Image source, Double Dagger Studio

While your Astro Bots and Final Fantasy VII Rebirths might be leading this year's nomination pack, there's no mistaking that games made by smaller studios or indies have gotten a great look-in at the Awards too.

You can't mention indie success this year without also including Balatro, a maddeningly addictive (I can attest to this personally!) poker-themed deck-building game which took gamers by storm in 2024 and has three nominations.

And a brand new category this time around has given even more opportunity for indies to shine. The Best Indie Game - Self Published category is now included alongside the Best Indie Game award, highlighting lots more fantastic games which have often come from just a handful of people.

There's a bit of an apparent theme among this new category - Another Crab's Treasure, Duck Detective and Little Kitty, Big City - who knew that indie devs were such animal lovers!?

Tinshui Yeung
Live page editor

Image source, Square Enix

There are over 50 games up for awards today, but here are four you should keep an eye on:

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: This Japanese action RPG leads the pack with six nominations, including the coveted Ultimate Game of the Year (UGOTY).

Astro Bot: The PS5 gem from Sony is also in the race for UGOTY with six nominations. This includes a nod for its creator, Team ASOBI, which is up for Studio of the Year.

Helldivers 2: This third-person shooter for PS5 and Windows has five nominations, including UGOTY and Best Multiplayer Game.

Balatro: The poker-themed game is available on mobile, PC, and consoles. It's bagged four nominations, including UGOTY and Best Indie Game.

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat, reporting from the awards venue

Image source, Rockstar Games

Yes, you read that right. GTA VI is hotly tipped to win an award tonight, even though it's not expected to launch for at least another year.

Twenty games are vying for the "Most Wanted" award, where people vote on the games they're most excited about. All expectations are that GTA VI will run away with it.

GTA V is a gaming phenomenon, having sold over 200 million copies, second only to Minecraft.

Just the launch of the GTA VI trailer earlier this year caused an internet frenzy.

Many games industry leaders are excited too, hoping it could be a big seller that boosts sales of the latest consoles and gets more people gaming.

Not everyone is thrilled, though. These blockbusters can overshadow others, so expect most studios to avoid launching their biggest games around GTA VI's release date (whenever that might be).

What's your favourite game of the year - or perhaps your all-time favourite? What makes it so special to you?

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Image source, Golden Joystick Awards

Games: Best Multiplayer Game, Best Game Expansion, Best Indie Game - Self Published, Best Indie Game, Best Early Access Game, Still Playing Award - Mobile, Still Playing Award - Console & PC, PC Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Most Wanted Game

Departments: Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design, Best Audio Design

Performers: Best Lead Performer, Best Supporting Performer

Others: Studio of the Year, Best Soundtrack, Best Game Trailer, Best Gaming Hardware, Best Game Adaptation

Plus, there are three special awards chosen by a panel: Streamers' Choice Award, Breakthrough Award, and Critics’ Choice Award.

And the biggest award of all is the Ultimate Game of the Year.

Tinshui Yeung
Live page editor

Image source, Internet Archive

The Golden Joystick Awards kicked off in 1983 and, according to Guinness World Records, it's the longest-running game award around.

These days, gamers worldwide can cast their votes online. But back in the day, before the internet was even a twinkle in anyone's eye, folks had to buy the Computer and Video Games magazine - closed its doors back in February 2015 - snip out the voting slip, and pop it in the post to back their favourites.

In the beginning, there were just five awards: Best arcade-type game, best strategy game, best original game, software house of the year, and game of the year.

Fast forward to now, and there are over 20 awards celebrating the best games on the planet.

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat, reporting from the awards venue

Hello and welcome from the team here at the awards venue. We're on the red carpet now, ready to gather thoughts from the big names about this year’s nominees and chat about the biggest topics in gaming right now.

It's going to be all celebrations on the surface, but that won't quite tell the whole story. That's because the global games industry is facing tough times, and this year has seen far fewer big game launches than usual. Many big franchises have sat 2024 out. It's telling that the most nominations have gone to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a remake of a 27-year-old game.

That doesn't take away from the huge achievements of everyone here tonight. There are some incredibly fun and innovative games in the spotlight, and tonight could be quite unpredictable, with potential wins for indie studios and stealth hits.

Tinshui Yeung
Live page editor

Image source, Golden Joystick Awards

As 2024 draws to a close, the gaming awards season is in full swing. A few awards stand out, and the Golden Joystick Award is one of them.

This award is significant not just because it's one of the largest public-voted gaming accolades, but also due to its 42-year history.

With over 20 categories, including the Ultimate Game of the Year, the ceremony kicks off today at 16:00 GMT in the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London.

Last year, Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 was the big winner. What about this year?

Stick with us to find out.