I’m just back from Gen Con and will report on it as soon as I recover. In the meantime, here’s the official press release about this year’s Diana Jones Award winner.
PRESS RELEASE
TO ALL MEDIA
IRISH GAMERS’ GENEROSITY WINS GAMING AWARD
Sixth annual Diana Jones Award ‘For Excellence in Gaming’ goes to
charity fundraisers
9th August 2006, Indianapolis:
The Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming for 2006 has been won by
Irish Game Convention Charity Auctions.
The winner was announced at a ceremony packed with games industry
professionals, from designers to publishers and distributors, held at
Jillian’s on South Meridian Street in Indianapolis on the evening of
Wednesday 9th August, the day before the opening of Gen Con Indy.
A single auction at an Irish games convention can raise over US$40,000
for local charities. This extraordinary spirit of generosity has
benefits beyond simply helping those in need: it works to publicise the
gaming hobby and gamers generally to a much wider audience, informing
them about the hobby and changing their preconceptions for the better.
This is one reason why Ireland, a country with no native hobby-games
industry and only a handful of games shops, has such a vibrant and
exciting games scene.
These charity auctions are an excellent example of the positive effects
that gaming can create. In a hobby that depends on community to survive
and grow, they benefit both the community of gamers and the wider
community beyond, and they deserve to be celebrated and emulated more
widely. This is why, in the opinion of the Diana Jones committee, Irish
Games Convention Charity Auctions are the worthy winner of this year’s
award.
Sadly no representatives of the Irish games-convention scene were
present to receive the award in person. Instead the Diana Jones Trophy
was accepted on their behalf by Malcolm Craig (Contested Ground Studios)
and Gregor Hutton (Boxninja), both regulars at Irish conventions, who
will take it to Ireland later this year.
Also nominated this year were the Gamechef game-design competition, the
CCG Magic the Gathering 9th Edition, the card-game/ARG Perplex City, the
RPG Spycraft 2nd Edition and the boardgame Twilight Struggle.
The Diana Jones Award is given annually to whatever in the opinion of
its mostly-anonymous committee shows or exemplifies gaming at its best.
Anyone and anything within the games industry and hobby is eligible to
win the Diana Jones Award, including individuals, products,
publications, publishers, distributors, retailers, clubs, organisations,
conventions, events, trends, innovations and concepts.
Previous winners include Peter Adkison and Jordan Weisman, the RPGs
Nobilis, Sorcerer and My Life with Master, and the boardgame Ticket to Ride.
Contact: James Wallis (james@erstwhile.demon.co.uk)
More information on the award: www.dianajonesaward.org
