2011 Game Developers Conference

SAN FRANCISCO—Dec. 8, 2010—The 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards, the most prestigious honors in the world of video game development, are now open for nominations through Jan. 4, 2011.  In its 11th year of celebrating the top games and developers, the Game Developers Choice Awards will recognize the creativity, artistry and technical genius of leading industry professionals. Awards in 14 categories are open for nominations to games that launched to retail or debuted online during the 2010 calendar year as well as the three special awards, Lifetime Achievement, Pioneer Award and Ambassador Award, which are open to anyone not previously recognized.

Nominations can be submitted by any worldwide game professional, registered with a Gamasutra.com account, simply by voting via the Game Developers Choice Awards website - http://www.gamechoiceawards.com.  Finalists will be selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards’ International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is a handpicked group comprised of 500 leading game creators from across of the video game industry. Special Award winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Committee, which includes notable industry veterans from Valve, PopCap, Ubisoft, BioWare, Zynga and more.

The 2010 award categories open for nominations until January 4 ^th are:

(Regular Awards)

- Best Audio

- Best Debut Game

- Best Downloadable Game

- Best Handheld Game

- Best Game Design

- Best Technology

- Best Visual Arts

- Best Writing

- Best New Social/Online Game

- Innovation Award

- Game of the Year

(Special Awards)

- Lifetime Achievement

- Pioneer Award

- Ambassador Award

The ceremony, produced in association with the Game Developers Conference® (GDC) and presented by Gamasutra.com and Game Developer Magazine, will take place on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 6:30 pm.  The ceremony is held immediately following the Independent Games Festival Awards, and will take place at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center.

“Now in its 25th cycle, the Game Developers Conference is excited to celebrate current industry trends while looking forward to the future of gaming, even as we reflect on the past 25 years of game development," said Meggan Scavio, event director of the Game Developers Conference.  “The Game Developers Choice Awards will continue to showcase the incredible talent and innovation in videogames from the past year while recognizing industry leaders who have made an indelible impact on game development.”

For more information about the Game Developers Choice Awards or to submit a nomination ballot, visit www.gamechoiceawards.com. For further information and to register for GDC, please visit www.gdconf.com.

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network 

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the  UBM TechWeb Game Network – formerly known as the Think Services Game Group - offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include the Game Developers Conference®, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game Advertising Online ad network, the Game Developers Conference® Online, the Game Developers Conference™ Europe, the Game Developers Conference™ China, Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Game Career Seminars and GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. 

About UBM TechWeb, a division of United Business Media

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology.  Through its core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and professional information – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands, applications and services in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs, IT and IT Support managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software and Game developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively participate in UBM TechWeb’s communities. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Game Developers Conference (GDC), Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; large-scale online networks such as InformationWeek,  Light Reading and Gamasutra; research, training, and certification services, including HDI, Pyramid Research, and InformationWeek Analytics; and market-leading magazines such as InformationWeek and Wall Street & Technology.  UBM TechWeb is part of UBM, a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

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Contact:          Brian Rubin / Teresa Tyndorf

                        fortyseven communications

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Ben Veechai

                        UBM TechWeb Game Network

ben.veechai@ubm.com

415-947-6280