Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has been nominated for the prestigious Designer of the Year Award. Although the mega-selling game’s design team may scoff at the relatively paltry £25,000 prize, the kudos will no doubt be welcome.

“One of the impressive things is the way it treats architecture, which is very realistic and alluring,” said Alice Rawsthorn, director of the Design Museum. “The shot of a helicopter hovering over Vice City is so detailed you can see the whirl of the rotor blades above the skyline of the city. It is visually very evocative and there is an abstract quality about it."

Vice City will go up against jewellery makers and some of the world’s best furniture designers for the award, the winner of which will be announced on June 29.