Something sorta major is happening to the Game Developers Conference, and I'm not talking about the commercialism creep. No, starting next year the Game Developers Conference, now permanently ensconced in San Francisco, will be held in February.

This is due to a city of San Francisco/scheduling issue, rather than a we'd-like-to-meet-in-Feb. issue, but it's still going to become, I think, a big problem to that other conference held in February.

DICE, usually held in early February, can't, I imagine, co-exist so closely with the new, robust Game Developers Conference. In my mind, to use a really bad astronomy analogy, the Game Developers Conference is some huge planet and DICE is a moon that just got sucked into its gravitational pull. There's no way it's going to escape a collision and I think we all know who will win that smack-up.

I had a chance to speak a bit with Jamil Moledina, director of GDC, earlier this week about a lot of things, and I asked him what he thought the impact was going to be. He didn't really answer the question, but seemed to understand that it was going to be an issue for one or both conventions.

The problem, I think, is that the two are now so close together that companies and people who work in the business won't be able to swing to the time to do two trips. More importantly, not enough time will have passed to be able to talk about two different things. What you will be left with, I fear, is people either repeating themselves or going to only one of them.

McWhertor suggests that perhaps DICE should turn into an event that is press free. Something where the top people in gaming can meet away from the public eye to network and talk about overthrowing virtual world governments. I hate to agree, but I think he's right. Brian Crecente

The entire list of playable games on the DICE "show floor" were: Crysis, Supreme Commander, Company of Heroes, Viva Pinata, Gears of War, Motorstorm (the PlayStation Store demo), Hellgate London, Sam & Max, and Robotron. The Age of Conan MMO was present, but would error out every time I tried to fire up the executable. Such a tease!

I did take one more spin through the Crysis demo, previously playable at CES. Unfortunately, the machines were a little less beefy and led to some noticeable slowdown.

Alright, so maybe there were a handful of unreleased titles on the show floor. What can I say? I'm spoiled and love to bitch! Michael McWhertor

Minutes to spare, I dash to the press room—I always pass on these things—grabbing one of the amBX branded messenger bags and an Insomniac stamped camo bag. Very fannypack-ish. As I dig through my bag, I quickly realize we get the shaft. No Resistance for the press. Oh well.

So what goods were attendees at DICE 07 showered with? The bags, a DICE branded Xbox 360 face plate, a GameTap photo frame, a nice little notebook with a Target logo, a massive long sleeve polo with DICE embroidery plus various dry goods and over the counter drugs. Look for these items in a future Kotaku giveaway near you! Michael McWhertor

He, and the night's other presenters including Doug Lowenstein, Chris Taylor, and Phil Harrison welcomed Epic's Mark Rein and Cliff Bleszinski to the stage over and over again as the two warmly accepted their awards. The night's other big winner was Wii Sports, winning three awards for Oustanding Innovation In Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Game Engineering and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.

Nintendo was well represented by attendees Reggie Fils-Aime and Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa. We're still trying to recover from the copious amounts of free booze, milkshakes, sushi, lobster ravioli and banana splits provided by the sponsors, but think we had a pretty good time. Hangover curing full list of winners after the jump. Michael McWhertor

GEARS OF WAR INVADES SIN CITY CAPTURING EIGHT STATUES AT THE 10TH ANNUAL INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Honors Nintendo Duo with Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award

Dan Bunten Inducted into AIAS Hall of Fame

CALABASAS, CA - February 9, 2007 - Epic Games' "Gears of War" emerged as the evening's big winner last night at the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards hosted by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), taking eight coveted Interactive Achievement Award statues, including Game of the Year honors. Nintendo's "Wii Sports" pulled in the second most awards with three wins at the star-studded event hosted by comedian Jay Mohr at "The Joint" in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

For the first time, the AIAS honored former president of Nintendo of America, Minoru Arakawa, and chairman emeritus of Nintendo of America, Howard Lincoln with Lifetime Achievement Awards. The AIAS also inducted video game pioneer Dan Bunten (known later in life as Danielle Bunten Berry) as the tenth member of its Hall of Fame. The Interactive Achievement Awards is a peer-based award that recognizes the outstanding products, talented individuals and development teams that have contributed to the
advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.

"Last night, we recognized the brightest and most innovative in video games in what can be considered one of the best years the video game industry has seen," said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS.

The winners in each category are as follows:
I. Game of the Year:
a. Overall
Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)

b. Computer
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (P: 2K Games, D: Bethesda Softworks, Executive Producer: Todd Howard)

c. Console
Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)

d. Handheld Game of the Year
Nintendo Brain Age (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Producer: Shinya Takahashi, Game Director: Kouichi Kawamoto, Creative Directors: Kouichi Kawamoto, Noriko Kitamura, Masamichi Sakaino, Shinji Kitahara, Yoshinori Katsuki, Tadashi Matsushita, Masura Nishida)

II. Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
Wii Sports (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Executive Producer: Satoru Iwata, Producer: Katsuya Eguchi, Game Directors: Keiza Ohta, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshikazu Yamashita)

III. Outstanding Achievement:
a. Animation
Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)

b. Art Direction
Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)

c. Soundtrack
Guitar Hero 2 (P: Activision/Red Octane, D: Harmonix, Producer: John Tam, Game Director: Daniel Sussman, Creative Director: Josh Randall)

d. Original Music Composition
LocoRoco (P: Sony Computer Entertainment, D: Sony Computer Entertainment, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Tsutomo Kouno)

e. Sound Design
Call of Duty 3 (P: Activision, D: Treyarch, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Treyarch)

f. Story and Character Development
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto, Game Director: Eiji Aonuma, Executive Producer: Satoru Iwata)

g. Game Play Engineering
Wii Sports (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Executive Producer: Satoru Iwata, Producer: Katsuya Eguchi, Game Directors: Keiza Ohta, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshikazu Yamashita)

h. Online Game Play
Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)

i. Visual Engineering
Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)

j. Game Design
Wii Sports (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Executive Producer: Satoru Iwata, Producer: Katsuya Eguchi, Game Directors: Keiza Ohta, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshikazu Yamashita)

IV. Outstanding Character Performance:
a. Male
Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)

b. Female
Viva Pin ata (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Rare, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Greg Mayles)

V. Genre Awards:
a. Sports Game of the Year
Tony Hawk Project 8 (P: Activision, D: Neversoft Entertainment, Producer; Chris Parise, Game Director/Creative Director: Brian Bright)

b. First-Person Action Game of the Year
Rainbow Six: Vegas (P: Activision, D: Neversoft Entertainment, Producer; Chris Parise, Game Director/Creative Director: Brian Bright)

c. Role-Playing Game of the Year
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (P: 2K Games, D: Bethesda Softworks, Executive Producer: Todd Howard)

d. Fighting Game of the Year
Fight Night Round 3 (P/D: Electronic Arts, Producer: Kudo Tsunoda, Game Director: Keith Morton, Creative Director: Darren Bennett)

e. Action/ Adventure Game of the Year
Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)

f. Racing Game of the Year
Burnout Revenge (P: Electronic Arts, D: Criterion Games, Creative Director: Alex Ward, Criterion Games)

g. Children's Game of the Year
LocoRoco (P: Sony Computer Entertainment, D: Sony Computer Entertainment, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Tsutomo Kouno)

h. Downloadable Game of the Year
Bookworm Adventures (P/D: PopCap, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Tysen Henderson)

i. Family Game of the Year
Guitar Hero 2 (P: Activision/Red Octane, D: Harmonix, Producer: John Tam, Game Director: Daniel Sussman, Creative Director: Josh Randall)

j. Simulation Game of the Year
Microsoft Flight Simulator X (P/D: Microsoft Game Studios, Producer: Shawn Firminger, Game Director: John Licata, Creative Director: Patt Cook, Jason Waskey)

k. Strategy Game of the Year
Company of Heroes (P: THQ, D: Relic, Producer/Game Director: John Johnson, Creative Director: Sean Dunn)

l. Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year
Guild Wars Nightfall (P: NCsoft, D: ArenaNet, Producer: Jay Adams, Game)

m. Mobile Game of the Year
Orcs and Elves (P: Electronic Arts Mobile, D: Fountainhead Entertainment, Producer/ Game Director/ Creative Director: John Carmack, Katherine A. Kang)

A peer panel of eight to 12 AIAS members played and evaluated all nominated titles in their assigned category. Interactive Achievement Award recipients were determined by a vote of qualified Academy members. AIAS voting was secret, conducted online and supervised and certified by eBallot. The integrity of the system, coupled with a broad-based voting population of AIAS members, makes the Interactive Achievement Awards the most credible, respected and recognized awards for interactive entertainment software.

Nintendo of America's Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln will be the first recipients of the newly-created Lifetime Achievement Award honoring those who have devoted their lives to the advancement of the interactive entertainment industry and have made significant contributions that have guided the business to the prominent position it is in today as a booming entertainment industry with global revenues topping $25 billion.

AIAS Hall of Fame Honoree Dan Bunten is the tenth member to be inducted and joins an already impressive collection of gaming icons, including Trip Hawkins, Peter Molyneux, Yu Suzuki, Will Wright, John Carmack, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Sid Meier, Shigeru Miyamoto and Richard Garriott.

About the D.I.C.E. Summit:
The D.I.C.E. Summit is a high-level interactive entertainment industry conference that brings together the top video game designers and developers from around the world and business leaders from all the major publishers to discuss the state of the industry, its trends and the future. More information on the 2006 D.I.C.E. Summit can be found http://www.dicesummit.org.

About the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences:
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) was founded in 1996 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts.

The Academy's mission is to promote and advance common interests in the worldwide interactive entertainment community; recognize outstanding achievements in the interactive arts and sciences; and conduct an annual awards show (Interactive Achievement Awards) to enhance awareness of the interactive art form. The Academy also strives to provide a voice for individuals in the interactive entertainment community. More information about the AIAS can be found at http://www.interactive.org.

Rigopulos talks about "the part before that", the dark time for Harmonix, when their original rhythm games Frequency and Amplitude were released. Despite great playtester impressions, positive reviews and many design awards, both games sold, in his words, "mouse nuts."

Rigopulos also discussed the the pros and cons the team pondered while debating whether to take on the Guitar Hero project. They were, in hilarious reverse order...

...punctuating that slide with "Fuck yeah, we wanna do Guitar Hero!"

Rigopulos then teased the crowd with talk of their post-Guitar Hero games "We have really big ideas about where we'd like to take this genre next. The projects we have underway are big, gnarly, challenging. And we need to devote all of our resources to these projects." However, he curbed any hope of new product announcements with "Sorry. We're not quite ready to talk about what we've got in the works." Michael McWhertor

In his final public speech as ESA lead, he reflected on the beginnings of the association, with a colorful recounting of the US Senate hearings spawned from then controversial violent video games Night Trap and Mortal Kombat.

Doug recalls, "Howard Lincoln, representing Nintendo, and Bill White, representing Sega, were testifying about the emergence of some of these, at the time, more violent video games. Howard was talking about how Nintendo was the socially responsible company, that in their version of Mortal Kombat there was no blood, and they were taking the high road. As he's going through his remarks, from below his seat Bill White lifts up and holds up for everyone to see a big red gun peripheral from a Nintendo system."

Then, "Suddenly you have this explosion of multimedia effects inside the senate room. The senators are delighted, but people outside the room are mortified. We came together and tried to create something that would represent this industry in some meaningful way. It was a rather inauspicious start."

Lowenstein went on to praise the work the ESA by saying that "Perceptions about this industry are very different from how they were 12 years ago. It was a backwater, a stepchild. It had no presence at all." Later saying, "This industry is taken more seriously than it ever has been before."

On first amendment rights and protected speech, Lowenstein illustrated his passion for his work, saying "This first amendment stuff is where the rubber hits the road. In my view there has been nothing more important that the ESA has done than putting its money and resources out there to defend your artistic freedom. And sometimes that's not easy. Plenty of things are put out as art that don't necessarily ennoble the culture, but they're protected. We made a decision at the ESA that we're going to defend constitutional freedoms no matter what. And I think we've done that, and we'll continue to do that."

Then adding, "The genius and the talent is still scratching the surface."

He also highlighted the important research work the organization was responsible for, data that is change mass perception, saying that "When people begin to understand how ubiquitous this industry has become, it changes their attitude." He also took time to make note of the ESA's anti-piracy work, spotlighting one unnamed employee who travels three weeks a month to train customs officers and law enforcement officials on cracking down on pirated games. Just for clarity's sake, Lowenstein reveals "He's not going to Maui. He's going to the least interesting places in the world. It shows incredible dedication."

Lowenstein has less kind words for many in the industry, what he referred to as his "pet peeves."

First up for a reaming?

"Publishers and developers who make controversial content then cut and run when it comes to defending their creative decisions. If you want to push the envelope, fine, but get out there and be responsible for it. Don't duck and cover when the shit hits the fan."

Next?

"The boss level chattering class. The Greek chorus who always think there's a better way to do something. It's very easy to pontificate why the ESA doesn't do something right. Then you look and... where are these people? Are they fighting the fight? Are they meeting with their senators? Are they making political contributions? I'm sick and tired of people in this industry complaining then sitting on their hands."

He then moved on to another target asking the gathered crowd "How many of you have signed up for the Video Game Voters Group?" A meager display of raised hands.

"That's pathetic. It makes me sick. What is the problem? You cannot expect this industry to grow if you continue to pass the buck. We're good, but we can't win the war without an army. Most of the people who have the most at stake are too lazy. If you want to be taken seriously as an industry you have to be able to ask yourself what you're willing to do. In the end we won't have enough soldiers to succeed."

Lowenstein also had some harsh words for the enthusiast press.

"I'm also annoyed with the game media. I think there's a lot of maturity that needs to happen with the game press. I think the game industry press needs a higher level of maturity and seriousness. Great other forms of media have powerful forms of critical components. The game industry press has the ability to push this industry to greater heights of success. People in the industry care more about what the game press say more than what I would ever say. I don't think the games press has asked enough of itself."

"In the last six months, I cant tell you how many ridiculous rumors I've read. I've heard people say that I'm leaving the ESA because I'm upset with what happened with the E3 decision. This stuff is stupid and it's wrong. It's lazy reporting. I think the game industry press is capable of much better."

"You know who gives Jack Thompson more press than anyone else? The games press legitimizes Jack Thompson. Everyone gets so upset that Jack Thompson has so much ability." Becoming visibly flustered, he ends with, "I just think it's nuts."

He also blasted gaming press outlets for ignoring the games as learning tool "Game industry press never write about this."

But Lowenstein let internet gossip queens and the gaming masses sum up the end of his career. Some select comments from the internets on news that Doug was leaving the ESA.

"This is so weird. I had a dream the other night that Lowenstein stepped down and I was the new president. I wish I was joking. My dreams are that stupid."

"The ESA has put a serious face on entertainment, not just keeping the government out of it, but helping to build a serious reputation for an industry previously seen as the kiddie side-kick of movies and music. You may or may not like the monster developers like EA and the mega-blockbuster treatment and pricing of games, but without the ESA, there would be no major investments into our industry and you'd probably be picking between Bubsy 8 and Bonk 12 for your action fix."

"I've never heard of this guy. I doubt most gamers have. Why should anyone care?"

"Who gives a shit? Don't you have real news to report."

Lowenstein ended with, "And that I think sums it up."

Well, Doug, thanks for giving a shit. Michael McWhertor

While we chatted, my mouth stuffed with sea bass, he told me that rhythm game Gitaroo Man was originally planned as a Dreamcast release, but the rise of the PlayStation 2 caused a shift in development. And sadly, the PSP port of the game didn't perform to well in Japan. I guess there's no accounting for taste!

So what about iNiS' next game? He was tight lipped, but said that we might get an announcement in April about the company's upcoming plans. I guess that means no Gitaroo Man 2 bomb drop at GDC! Michael McWhertor

HIs core message was "in game ads will make you rich, make you famous and make you better." Cohen drove home that product placement in movies reached $1.5 billion in the US alone last year ("10% of the gross revenue of the game industry"), that Casino Royale had made $70 million before it even opened in theaters, that developers and publishers need to "take the money."

Obviously, one of the bigger concerns for in-game ads was gamer backlash. But that's exactly why Kotaku is up on the big screen. Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Vegas advertising Easter egg, sponsored by AXE, got them tons of positive press from mainstream media and hardcore gaming outlets and, yep, even Kotaku. Michael McWhertor

• SingStar and SingStore for PLAYSTATION 3 shown again with new features, including streaming song previews, custom user pages, video uploads of performances, and My SingStar community features.
• Super Rub A Dub shown. The PlayStation Network game, sure to be the subject of Monkey Ball comparisons, features SIXAXIS tilt control and will be available before the European PS3 launch.
• The sequel to the PSP game LocoRoco is playable, but platform and release date weren't given.
• The PLAYSTATION 3 online platform will continue to evolve "aggressively". Phil wouldn't specify timetables or feature sets.

If anyone has any questions, throw them in the comments. I'll try to answer when I can. Michael McWhertor

Following some quick clips of Ghost Rider—a movie Landau mistakenly referred to as Ghostbusters, eliciting chuckles from the crowd and a hasty correction—the topic extended to bringing the visceral experience of movies to games. Citing the popularity of Saving Private Ryan, a movie with raw cinematic appeal, he proposed that games like Medal of Honor, Company of Heroes and Call of Duty were direct extensions of the movie's influence on a mass market.

He then showed a clip of Sony Picture's own Casino Royale, culminating in an interesting product development.

After the brutal intensity of the best action moments from the latest 007 flick, Landau showed footage (some of it "target render") of an multiplayer title in development at Sony Online Entertainment's Seattle office, codenamed "Vista". Why Vista? "We had to push it back a year," he explained. Damn! Ice burn!

The game featured a pair of digital agents, one tall, dark, and tuxedoed, his female counterpart in a slinky cocktail dress sporting plenty of heaving cleavage. After a brief intro showcasing some Q-caliber gadgetry built into the main character's mount (a BMW look-alike), the two engaged in a massive firefight with all manner of street thugs, characters that looked ripped from Manhunt (or a Misfits show). Securing the aluminum brief case they were after, a dreadlocked, face-painted baddie made a dramatic appearance, seconds before the clip went black. Again, citing Hollywood hits like The Bourne Identity and the Bond franchise, Landau and SOE believe that action-oriented espionage is ready to break out. Hence, the currently untitled game.

He also showed some clips of Sony Pictures Classics "Riding Giants", a movie that helped spawn the upcoming penguin surfing animated venture "Surf's Up." Talking animals? Normally, I'd say "No thanks!" but it got a laugh out of me. He then showed a clip of Ubisoft's game adaptation that goes by the same name, which actually looked pretty damn good. More Tony Hawk's Pro Skater than Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, the penguin surfing action did give off a very visceral feel. Riding (inexplicably placed) railslides, crashing through obstacles, hitting massive wave jumps—it all felt very close to the intense clips he'd shown in film form.

While convergence may be the wrong (tired) term, the extension of a film's strength did bring up an interesting design challenge for the gathered creators. Landau wrapped up by challenging developers to take advantage of share rendering and animation tools to extend the experience of powerful, primal cinema to create equally powerful games.

Then, he told everyone to go drink lots of booze. Don't mind if I do, Yair. Michael McWhertor

Talks from Will Wright, Alex Rigopulos of Harmonix, Chris Taylor, Keiichi Yano of iNiS, and Doug Lowenstein will all be worth checking out, while a twenty questions session with Sony Computer Entertainment's Phil Harrison tomorrow morning will most likely be the juiciest of all. We've got a few developer interviews scheduled. We'll be mingling at some parties. We'll continue our stalking of J Allard (who had better show up!). We'll even hit the co-ed hot tub. All for you.

Keep checking for our continuing DICE 2007 coverage throught the week for any potential game annoucements, the 10th annual Interactive Achievement Awards and revelations from loose-lipped attendees. Michael McWhertor

Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder of Harmonix, will be rocking out this year's Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain Summit in Nevada, talking about the companies slow, but steady 11-year rise from indie developer to gaming rockstars.

I'd like to think that he will also be touching on the MTV acquisition of the company, the decision to hand their golden child off to Neversoft and what's coming next from this innovative group of designers. Brian Crecente