2006 Game Developers Choice Award Nominations Opened

The Game Developers Choice Awards, the developer-centric video game awards which are voted on by IGDA members, have announced that nominations are now open for the 2006 awards, its 6th iteration. IGDA members can now visit the IGDA's Game Developers Choice Awards website and make their nominations for awards including Best Game, Innovation, New Studio, Audio, Character Design, Game Design, Technology, Visual Arts and Writing. The nomination period will run until January 13th. In addition, awards including Lifetime Achievement, First Penguin, 'Maverick' and Community Contribution will also be handed out at the ceremony this March. Last year's winners included Half-Life 2 for Best Game, Robotron creator Eugene Jarvis for Lifetime Achievement, and MUD co-creator Richard Bartle for the First Penguin award. The Choice Awards website explains that the awards "focus on rewarding and recognizing one's peers for innovation and excellence in the art of making games – regardless of genre, platform or delivery medium." The award nominees will be announced on February 28th, and voting will then be open until March 8th. The 2006 Choice Award ceremony itself will be held at the Game Developers Conference 2006 on Wednesday, March 22nd in the San Jose Civic Auditorium.