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Long Live The Game Awards

I try not to make a big deal out of things like award shows, but after last year’s weird VGX blunder, it’s pretty grueling not to be at least a little bit delighted over the idea of a fresh start. Thankfully, Geoff Keighley is here to save the day — like always.

Announced earlier this week, The Game Awards 2014 sounds like it could be a promising new start to a turbulent history of video game award shows. Set to take place on December 5th in Las Vegas, the ceremony is billed to be an all-out celebration of gaming, set to venerate the “cultural significance of the world’s most dynamic form of entertainment.” After all, it is a $100 billion a year industry.

The show is the brainchild of industry veteran Geoff Keighley, and with an advisory board featuring executives from industry big fish like Nintendo, Sony, Ubisoft, Konami, Xbox, Valve, Rockstar, and EA, it’s no stretch of the imagination to say that the stakes are high. After last year’s VGX awards, a live stream event that turned out to be more advertisement than homage, a new event honoring one of the most popular rising industries of late could shine a more gratifying light on gamers, especially in the wake of the ongoing movement-that-shall-not-be-named.

“More than ever our industry — the fans, the developers and the media — need to unite and show the world the power of games,” Keighley stated in a show note on The Game Awards’ official website. “I look forward to celebrating with you on December 5, whether you join us in person in Las Vegas or online.”

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The program is set to include world premiere announcements, musical performances, awards (duh), and a plethora of other surprises. Although no specific details of The Game Awards have been set in stone, tickets are already becoming available for the Sin City-based event. Ticketmaster is the place to be if you’re looking to attend, and at $45 a seat, it’s definitely worth looking into. If you didn’t get to take advantage of the pre-sale, courtesy of Xbox, tickets go on sale at 9AM PT.

The Video Game Awards 2014 is sure to be a unique escapade, and funny enough, it rests on the eve of Sony’s newest community event, the PlayStation Experience. So yeah, go ahead and just plan to stay the week, will ya? Of course, if you’re not really into the whole ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ agenda, you won’t be left out. For those who aren’t able to attend the awards, PlayStation and Xbox have teamed up to stream the event via your in-home console. PC users will also be able to get in on the action from the safety of their couch — sans pants!

The Video Game Awards 2014 will be held Friday, December 5th in Las Vegas at The Axis at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. The show is set to start a 6PM PT, so don’t miss out. Get your $1 bills ready — that Twilight Zone slot machine is calling your name. Oh, and video games, of course.

The only real question left to ask is, what game will be runner up to Dragon Age: Inquisition ‘s GOTY?