GDC Awards Winners Announced @ Gaming Target

Written by Jason Cisarano on February 25, 2008

News: Developers recognize their own

At the height of the Game Developers Conference last week in San Francisco, developers took the night off to gather and recognize some of the best games of 2008 at the Game Developers Choice Awards. There were no surprises in the awards: Portal and Bioshock lead the pack with three awards each.

The GDCA also recognized several individuals for a lifetime of contributions to the gaming industry. The Lifetime Achievement award went to Sid Meier of Civilization and Pirates! fame. The Pioneer Award (which just last year was known as the First Penguin Award) went to Ralph H. Baer. Among Baer's credits are the Magnavox Odyssey, the light gun, and Simon. Some of Baer's original equipment is now part of the Smithsonian collection. The Ambassador Award went to Jason Della Rocca, director of the International Game Developer's Association.

Prizes went to games in ten categories:

Best Game Design: Portal, by Valve
Best Debut Game: Crackdown, by Realtime Worlds
Best Audio: BioShock, by 2K Boston/2K Australia
Best Downloadable Game: flOw, by thatgamecompany
Best Technology: Crysis, by Crytek
Innovation Award: Portal, by Valve
Best Visual Arts: Bioshock, by 2K Boston/2K Australia
Best Handheld Game: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, by Nintendo
Best Writing: BioShock, by 2K Boston/2K Australia
Game of the Year: Portal, by Valve

The GDCA has been held yearly since 2001, and winners are chosen by vote among developers.