Sony Computer Ent.'s PlayStation 2 adventure SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS was the recipient of five top honors including Best Game at the 6th annual Game Developers Choice Awards. The ceremony, produced and hosted by the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and presented by the International Game Developers Assoc. (IGDA), is the only peer-based, open nomination awards program in the industry where honors are bestowed to developers by developers. Recipients were announced last night at the 2006 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Jose.
"Game creators have earned the recognition we give other celebrities such as movie stars and pop singers, and they've provided an undeniable contribution to world culture in light of the hours of entertainment they deliver," said Jamil Moledina, director, Game Developers Conference. "Games really are a 21st century art form, and our goal in hosting and producing the Game Developers Choice Awards is to validate the achievements of these creative artists."
Nominations were free of charge and open to all IGDA members, ensuring that the nominees reflect the international development community's opinions. The IGDA membership voted on the finalists.
The recipients for the 6th annual Game Developers Choice Awards are:
Best GameSHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (Sony Computer Ent. Inc.)- Kenji Kaido, Yasuhide Kobayashi, Fumito Ueda
AudioGUITAR HERO (Harmonix Music Systems / RedOctane)- Eric Brosius, Kasson Crooker
Character DesignSHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (Sony Computer Ent. Inc.)- Atsuko Fukuyama, Hitoshi Niwa, Shunpei Suzuki, Fumito Ueda
Game DesignSHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (Sony Computer Ent. Inc.)- Junichi Hosono, Fumito Ueda
TechnologyNINTENDOGS (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)- Tsutomu Kaneshige
Visual ArtsSHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (Sony Computer Ent. Inc.)- Koji Hasegawa, Masanori Kajita, Hironobu Nakano, Fumito Ueda
WritingPSYCHONAUTS (Double Fine Prods. / Majesco Ent. Co.)- Tim Schafer, Erik Wolpaw
New StudioDouble Fine Prods. (PSYCHONAUTS)- Caroline Esmurdoc, Tim Schafer
InnovationGUITAR HERO (Harmonix Music Systems / RedOctane)- Greg LoPiccolo, Ryan Lesser
NINTENDOGS (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)- Tsutomu Kaneshige, Hideki Konno, Shigeru Miyamoto, Kiyoshi Mizuki
SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (Sony Computer Ent. Inc.)- Junichi Hosono, Fumito Ueda
Recipients for the evening's special awards were:
Lifetime AchievementRichard Garriott
First PenguinWill Crowther, Don Woods
MaverickMike Dornbrook, Eran Egozy, Greg LoPiccolo, Alex Rigopulos
Community ContributionChris Hecker
"Developers fuel the creative engine that propels the gaming industry forward and it is of paramount importance to recognize their hard work producing brilliant games," said Jason Della Rocca, exec director, IGDA.
For more information, visit www.gamechoiceawards.com.
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, visit www.igda.org or e-mail info@igda.org.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
