Canadian Video Game Award Nominees Announced

What do the video games Mass Effect 2, FIFA 2011, and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood have in common? They're all made in Canada.

A slew of the biggest and best video games from the past year are up for Canadian Video Game Awards, with Mass Effect 2 and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood netting seven nominations each. The awards, now in their second iteration, are set for Vancouver on May 18 and feature such categories as best writing, best visual design, and best student game. The Canadian “interactive media” industry – including video games and smartphone apps – employs about 50,000 people, generates $4 billion a year, and boasts offices of many major game developers, such as EA, BioWare, Capcom, and Ubisoft.