Seventh Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Now Open for Nominations

Recipients to Be Named During CMP Technology's 2007 Game Developers Conference

PRNewswire
SAN FRANCISCO
Jan 3, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominations are now being accepted for the 2007 Game Developers Choice Awards, the seventh annual presentation of the most prestigious honors in videogame development. Nominations can be submitted through http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/ until January 12, 2007. 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.

"As the name suggests, what makes these awards the industry's highest honor is the fact that professional game developers themselves choose the nominees and recipients, and nobody knows games better than they do," said Jamil Moledina, executive director of the GDC. "With the voting process overseen by the IGDA, a non-profit professional society, the awards achieve a level of credibility on par with the entertainment industry's top awards shows. We couldn't be happier partnering with the IGDA to honor the game industry's best and brightest for the seventh year."

The Game Developers Choice Awards recognize excellence in the art of game creation regardless of genre, platform or delivery medium. In addition to the nine categories (listed below) for which five nominees each will be selected, four special annual awards will also be presented. 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 other award categories are:

*  Best Game
  *  Innovation
  *  Audio
  *  Character Design
  *  Game Design
  *  Technology
  *  Visual Arts
  *  Writing
  *  New Studio

"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 http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/.

About the International Game Developers Association (IGDA)

The International Game Developers Association is a non-profit professional society that is committed to advancing the careers and enhancing the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community. For more information on the IGDA, please visit http://www.igda.org/ or e-mail info@igda.org.

About the CMP Game Group (http://www.cmpgame.com/)

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the CMP Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through the Game Developers Conference, Game Developer magazine, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, the Serious Games Summit D.C., GDC Mobile, GDC Europe, the Independent Games Festival, the Game Developers Choice Awards, GDC London, the London Games Summit, GDCTV, GDCRadio, and the GDC Focus On event series. For more information, please visit http://www.cmpgame.com/.

About CMP Technology (http://www.cmp.com/)

CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

SOURCE: CMP Game Group

CONTACT: Sibel Sunar, sibel@fortyseven.com, or Brian Rubin,
brian@fortyseven.com, both of fortyseven communications, +1-323-658-1200, for
CMP Game Group; or Tara Gibb of CMP Technology, +1-415-947-6219,
tgibb@cmp.com

Web site: http://www.cmpgame.com/