Gaming Genius Awards Update

Aug. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- Gaming Genius Awards aka the "Golden Pawns" Update

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Lead In:

1st Annual Gaming Genius Awards Nomination Period a roaring success. Extended to September 11th, 2011. There is still time to get your nomination in for the Pro Awards.

Fan Awards: Fans of the nominees now is the time to get your say on who wins. Come and Vote! Or nominate someone in those categories.

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PRESS RELEASE

(Montreal 2011) Gaming Genius Awards or “The Golden Pawns” are a real success!

The International Gamers Guild (IGG) in conjunction with its parent organization The Gamers Guild is pleased to announce the Gaming Genius Awards(tm) (GGAs, also called The Golden Pawns (tm)) and that the nomination period has been extended to September 11th, 2011.

These Gaming Gaming Awards have been under development for the past 2 years and 2011 marks its premiere of what will become an annual event. The Gaming Genius Awards are an innovation in the hobby game industry by covering every aspect of the industry, including independent products and fan achievements.

The Gaming Genius Awards recognize genius in every aspect of the hobby game industry, in a way that reflects expert opinion and not market consensus. The best-known awards in the hobby game industry awards currently are popularity contests whose results are frequently leveraged by manufacturers who are best able to mobilize the vote. Other awards are recognized in the industry as established institutions. The Gaming Genius Awards, although new, are intended to be in line with how awards outside the hobby game industry are given out and thus, representing the industry as a whole.

The Golden Pawns will be awarded at a ceremony at Montreal Comiccon 2011 the weekend of September 17 to 18, 2011. Many thanks to Montreal Comiccon for such a favorable response and support of the awards.

The Gaming Genius Awards are divided into Pro Awards and Fan Awards. The Pro Awards are for commercial products. They also recognize achievements in writing, artwork, game design, and commentary. These are voted upon by a panel of industry experts that are to be selected by the GGA Central Committee. The Fan Awards are for achievements by individual, rank-and-file enthusiasts of the game hobby. These are voted upon by members of the general public.

The many categories of Gaming Genius Awards cover roleplaying games, miniatures, wargames, boardgames, card games, LARPs, play-by-mail, and conventions in the Pro category. The Fan category recognizes genius in gamemastering, costume design, miniatures painting, organizing local conventions, and blogging.

The use of industry experts rather than general fan voting in all categories was the standard in the industry before changes were made to the best-known awards in the industry in the last decade. However, the Gaming Genius Awards judges will still need to be accountable to the fans, through regular feedback on the forums on the GGA webpage.

Get involved! whether you are a designer, publisher, writer, blogger, or fan:

The GGA Central Committee is now accepting applications for judges, who will having voting rights in the Golden Pawn Pro categories. Contact information is at the bottom of this announcement for everyone who is interested.

Nominate your products and your achievements!:

All manufacturers, designers, and freelancers may nominate their own products. The procedure requires sending an email to the Central Committee announcing this, including a written introduction to the product or achievement. Please note that no physically printed copies of any products are required for nomination purposes. Please see the page on the Golden Pawns website regarding the nomination and judging procedures for more information. PDFs, software, and other virtual ("electronic") products are on the same playing field as physical material. Products need not be in general retail distribution to be eligible, either.

About The International Gamers Guild and the Gamers Guild:

The International Gamers Guild (IGG) and its parent organization (The Gamers Guild) are non-profit organizations dedicated to empowering participants in roleplaying games, miniatures, wargames, boardgames, LARPs, and related hobbies to promote such hobbies in the wider community and to increase their opportunities to enjoy the hobby as well. The Central Committee of the Gaming Genius Awards are an anonymous group of directors from the Gamer’s Guild.

To Contact Us:

Send all inquiries about voting or nomination to nomination@thegoldenpawns.org.

Our website for the Awards is www.thegoldenpawns.org
Our website for the Guild is www.gamers-guild.net