"Transcending consumer fads, the Game Developers Choice Awards feature games and developers that are truly worthy of recognition. The recipients are chosen by those who know games best —their creators."

I couldn't have said it better myself. The annual Game Developers Choice Awards, likely one of the single most important annual awards for the industry, have started taking nominations. To submit a nomination you have to be a member of the International Game Developers Association.

The Choice Awards select games for nine categories: Best game, innovation, new studio, audio, character design, game design, technology, visual arts and writing.

"As the name suggests, what makes these awards the industry's highest honor is the fact that professional game developers themselves choose the nominees and recipients, and nobody knows games better than they do," said Jamil Moledina, executive director of the GDC. "With the voting process overseen by the IGDA, a non-profit professional society, the awards achieve a level of credibility on par with the entertainment industry's top awards shows. We couldn't be happier partnering with the IGDA to honor the game industry's best and brightest for the seventh year."

The winners are announced during a gala event at the Game Developers Conference.

Which games would you pick if you could nominate titles? Brian Crecente

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