The Game Developers Choice Awards are given out yearly at the annual Game Developers Conference and are voted on by industry members. It was run by the International Game Developers Association until 2007, after which Think Services (the media company that runs GDC and Gamasutra.com
) took over management. The awards have been given out since 2000; between 1997 and 1999 they were the Spotlight Awards.
The Independent Games Festival awards have been given out since 1998 and are run as a sister event to the GDC Awards with their Award Show on the same night and in the same venue and a showcase area during the conference. G4TV did live broadcasts of both award shows.
The award categories currently include:
- Game of the Year
- Innovation Award
- Best Debut Game
- Best Audio
- Best Game Design
- Best Technology
- Best Visual Arts
- Best Writing
- Best Downloadable Game
- Best Handheld Game
Special Awards include:
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- The Pioneer Award (formerly known as the First Penguin Award)
- Ambassador Award
