Game Developers Choice Awards 2010

2010 Special Awards Recipients

These three special honors, selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards advisory board, were presented at the ceremony.

Lifetime Achievement

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career and achievements of a developer who has made an indelible impact on the craft of game development and games as a whole.

• John Carmack

Pioneer Award

The Pioneer Award (formerly known as the First Penguin Award) celebrates those individuals who developed a breakthrough technology, game concept, or gameplay design at a crucial juncture video game history - paving the way for the myriads who followed them.

• Gabe Newell

Ambassador Award

The Ambassador Award honors an individual or individuals who have helped the game industry advance to a better place, either through facilitating a better game community from within, or by reaching outside the industry to be an advocate for video games and help further our art.

• Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik and Robert Khoo

2010 Recipients & Nominees

In addition to the Ambassador, Pioneer and Lifetime Achievement Awards, Choice Awards were given in the following categories below. These particular categories will be both nominated and voted on by the development community.

Game of the Year

The Game of the Year Award recognizes the choice of game developers for the overall best game release during 2009.

• Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
• Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios)
• Demon's Souls (From Software)
• Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft Montreal)

Best Writing

The Best Writing Award recognizes the overall excellence of storytelling in a game - including, but not limited to, art direction, animation, modeling, character design, texture creation, and so on.

• Brutal Legend (Double Fine)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios)
• Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare)
• Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
• Halo 3: ODST (Bungie)

Best Game Design

The Best Game Design Award recognizes the overall excellence of design in a game - including, but not limited to, gameplay mechanics, playability, play balancing, and level design.

• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady)
• Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft Montreal)
• Flower (Thatgamecompany)
• Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
• Plants Vs. Zombies (PopCap)

Best Technology

The Best Technology Award recognizes the overall excellence of technology in a game - including, but not limited to, graphics programming, artificial intelligence, networking, and physics.

• Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward)
• Red Faction: Guerrilla (Volition)
• Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
• Killzone 2 (Guerrilla Games)
• Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft Montreal)

Best Visual Arts

The Best Visual Arts Award recognizes the overall excellence of visual art in a game - including, but not limited to, art direction, animation, modeling, character design, texture creation, and so on.

• Borderlands (Gearbox Software)
• Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
• Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft Montreal)
• Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward)
• Flower (thatgamecompany)

Best New Social/Online Game

• Restaurant City (Playfish)
• Farmville (Zynga)
• Dungeon Fighter Online (Neople/Nexon)
• Free Realms (Sony Online Entertainment San Diego)
• Bejeweled Blitz (PopCap)

Best Debut Game

The Best Debut Game Award recognizes the game from any development studio which released its first publicly available title in the year 2009.

• The Maw (Twisted Pixel)
• League Of Legends (Riot Games)
• Spider: The Secret Of Bryce Manor (Tiger Style)
• Torchlight (Runic Games)
• Zeno Clash (ACE Team)

Innovation Award

The Innovation Award recognizes the single game that demonstrates true innovation, advances the state of the art, and pushes the boundaries of games as an expressive medium.

• Scribblenauts (5th Cell)
• Flower (thatgamecompany)
• Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
• Plants Vs. Zombies (PopCap)
• Demon's Souls (From Software)

Best Handheld Game

Best Handheld Game Award recognizes the overall best game commercially released on any handheld platform during 2009.

• Scribblenauts (5th Cell)
• Flight Control (Firemint)
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Leeds/Rockstar North)
• Spider: The Secret Of Bryce Manor (Tiger Style)
• Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo EAD)

Best Audio

The Best Audio Award recognizes the overall excellence of audio in a game - including, but not limited to, sound effects, musical composition, sound design, orchestration, etc.

• Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
• Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare)
• Rock Band: The Beatles (Harmonix)
• Flower (thatgamecompany)
• Brutal Legend (Double Fine Productions)

Best Downloadable Game

Best Downloadable Game Award recognizes the overall best game released on console or PC platforms specifically and solely for digital download - with an emphasis on smaller, more 'casual'-friendly titles.

• Plants Vs. Zombies (PopCap)
• Trials HD (RedLynx)
• PixelJunk Shooter (Q Games)
• Shadow Complex (Chair Entertainment)
• Flower (thatgamecompany)