This year, it will recognize Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of "Mario Brothers" and "Donkey Kong") and Nolan Bushnell (co-founder of Atari and "Pong"), in the Lifetime Achievement category, and Halo, Link (The Legend of Zelda), Mario, and Sonic The Hedgehog in the category for favorite Games/Characters. Inductees will be on hand to meet fans and help shape history at this unprecedented inaugural event. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will be present to kick off the ceremonies.
Gamers worldwide are invited to join the festivities at Metreon on March 8th at 5:00 p.m. as live camera feeds deliver dramatic images to the fans gathered on the Ground Floor. At 5:30 p.m., stars will be unveiled on Level 2 to the fanfare of confetti bursts and live music performances by members of G.A.N.G. (Game Audio Network Guild), and entertainment courtesy of gaming shows like "Gamer Nation" and "The Electric Playground", and a host of other media covering the day's activities.
Every year, www.WalkOfGame.com accepts votes in the categories of Game/Character and Lifetime Achievement. The top four Games/Characters and the top two lifetime achievers are inducted into Walk Of Game and have a 24"x 24", customized star installed on the floors of Metreon, a 350,000 square-foot entertainment center in downtown San Francisco. 2006 nominations will be announced in late 2005.
As a Bay Area destination for the international gaming community, this year Walk of Game is officially partnered with the Game Developers Conference (GDC), which is coming to San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center, March 7-11. The conference is expected to attract over 10,000 attendees and Metreon will be host to several GDC meetings and demo areas. The GDC will feature more than 300 lectures, panels, tutorials and roundtable discussions across seven content tracks.