Bethesda Softworks’ The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim won the Game of the Year award at the Spike TV Video Game Awards show tonight.
The title beat out rivals Batman: Arkham City, Portal 2, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
The developers, including Todd Howard, pictured center, thanks their wives and employees for all of the long hours working on the title. Skyrim, a fantasy role-playing game, also won for best RPG and Bethesda won for Studio of the Year
Other big winners include Skyward Sword, the best Wii game and motion-sensing game; Uncharted 3, for best graphics; Batman Arkham City for character of the year (the Joker), best Xbox 360 game, and best action-adventure game; Portal 2, for best PC game, best multiplayer, best performance by a human female, best performance by a human female, and best DLC; Bastion, for best original game and best original score; Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, for best shooter; Minecraft, for best independent game; Mortal Kombat, for best fighting game; and the gamer god title went to the founders of Blizzard Entertainment: Mike Morhaime, Allen Adham, and Frank Pearce.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception won for best PS 3 game. Forza Motorsport 4 won best driving game; NBA 2K12 won best sports game; Build that Wall won for best song. mass Effect 3 won for most anticipated game and Assassin’s Creed Revelations won for best trailer.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario at NIntendo, accepted the Video Game Hall of Fame award. The ninth-annual show, executive produced by Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett, seemed better run this year. Part of the reason was that a soldier in military fatigues was authorized to run up on stage and take down any speakers who went to long with their acceptance speeches. Then he “teabagged” them, or pretended to sit on their faces, going up and down, up and down. Robert Bowling, who accepted the award for best shooter game for Modern Warfare 3, actually ran off the stage as the soldier guy ran up. Bowling’s companion was caught and teabagged.
The show was broadcast live from Sony Studios in Los Angeles.