2007 Game Developers Choice Award Nominations Open

Author: by Staff

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2007 Game Developers Choice Awards, the seventh annual presentation of the most prestigious honors in video game development, and can be submitted through the Game Choice Awards website until January 12, 2007 - though you must be an International Game Developers Association member to be eligible to vote. The awards ceremony, to take place Wednesday, March 7, 2007 during CMP Technology’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), is produced by the GDC and presented by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). The gala event, held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival, will be hosted in the Esplanade Room in the South Hall of San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center. The votable award categories are: • Best Game • Innovation • Audio • Character Design • Game Design • Technology • Visual Arts • Writing • New Studio In addition to the nine categories (listed above) for which five nominees each will be selected from public votes, four special annual awards will also be presented - these are selected by the Choice Awards Advisory Board. The First Penguin Award acknowledges developers who have jumped into unknown territory and paved the way for the rest of the industry. The Community Contribution Award honors a developer who embodies the spirit of community and encourages improvement among peers. The Maverick Award recognizes those who take risks by experimenting with unconventional methods. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career of a developer who has made an indelible impact on games. The first such award was presented in 2001 to developer legend Will Wright; the most recent recipient in 2006 was Ultima series creator Richard “Lord British” Garriott. “The IGDA is proud once again to do our part to celebrate the year’s most outstanding game development achievements,” said Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the IGDA. “We are eager to see which of the many great games of 2006 receive nominations from the development community, especially considering it was the year when games were made for more platforms than ever before.” The nomination ballot and further details about the Choice Awards are available online at the Game Choice Awards website.