Co-hosted by Circle President Harold Goldberg and 2020 Andrew Yoon Legend Award recipient and former President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aimé, the awards show aims to go bigger than ever as they recognize the best games of 2024.
Tickets for reserved seats at the 2024 New York Game Awards are $80 and available for purchase through Eventbrite. NYVGCC is also offering limited access to the awards afterparty with free drinks for $100. More details on the Legend Award winner, musical guests, and presenters will be announced at a later date.
The New York Videogame Critics Circle (NYVGCC) welcomes Mega Ran as the musical headliner for the New York Game Awards, who is debuting a brand new original song just for the event. The 2025 awards show takes place on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the SVA Theatre in Manhattan. IGN is an official media partner for this year’s event and will stream the show on its channels for those who can’t attend in person.
Raheem Jarbo, known by the stage name Mega Ran, is a former middle school teacher who blends education, hip-hop and gaming to complement his unique rhyming style. He’s contributed to various video game soundtracks, including Mortal Kombat 1, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, River City Girls 2 and others. He released three albums this year, including “Black Materia Rebirth,” an ode to the Final Fantasy franchise.
“Raheem’s background as an educator and deep love for video games resonated with our organization and made the decision to bring him in as a performer a no-brainer,” said Harold Goldberg, Co-founder and President, NYVGCC. “I like to describe his Mega Ran persona as a nerdcore transmitter of video game lore, and we can’t wait to see how he captures our audience with his set paying tribute to this medium we all love.”
“2024 was such a monumental year for me as an artist and father, and I can’t think of a better way to kick off 2025 than at the New York Game Awards,” said Raheem “Mega Ran” Jarbo, musician. “I can’t wait to play a special new song and some classics at the show.”
More details about the 14th annual awards will be shared in January, starting with nominations being revealed during a livestream on the Paley Center for Media YouTube channel on Tuesday, Jan. 7. This year’s event will honor Remedy Entertainment’s Creative Director Sam Lake as the Andrew Yoon Legend Award recipient.
The New York Game Awards acts as NYVGCC’s leading fundraiser for its Playing with Purpose writing program, which brings comprehensive classes and workshops in journalism and game narrative to schools and shelters across New York City. Their most recent classes connect them with students and interns at the Laboratory School, TAPco, Dreamyard Prep, BronxWorks Shelter, Mott Hall 3 Middle School, and Andries Hudde Middle School.
For more information on the NY Game Awards and other NYVGCC programs, please visit the website.