"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 Game
- Shadow of the Colossus (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) - Kenji Kaido, Yasuhide Kobayashi, Fumito Ueda
- Audio
- Guitar Hero (Harmonix Music Systems / RedOctane) - Eric Brosius, Kasson Crooker
- Character Design
- Shadow of the Colossus (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) - Atsuko Fukuyama, Hitoshi Niwa, Shunpei Suzuki, Fumito Ueda
- Game Design
- Shadow of the Colossus (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) - Junichi Hosono, Fumito Ueda
- Technology
- Nintendogs (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo) - Tsutomu Kaneshige
- Visual Arts
- Shadow of the Colossus (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) - Koji Hasegawa, Masanori Kajita, Hironobu Nakano, Fumito Ueda
- Writing
- Psychonauts (Double Fine Productions / Majesco Entertainment Company) - Tim Schafer, Erik Wolpaw
- New Studio
- Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts) - Caroline Esmurdoc, Tim Schafer
- Innovation
- Guitar 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 Entertainment Inc.) - Junichi Hosono, Fumito Ueda
Recipients for the evening's special awards were:
- Lifetime Achievement: Richard Garriott
- First Penguin: Will Crowther, Don Woods
- Maverick: Mike Dornbrook, Eran Egozy, Greg LoPiccolo, Alex Rigopulos
- Community Contribution: Chris 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, executive director, IGDA.