WGA initiates game writers

The latest tactic taken by the Writers Guild of America in its ongoing feud with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers guild has been to urge other like-minded unions to skip major awards shows such as the Golden Globes and the Grammys. However, that hasn't stopped the WGA from carrying on with its own awards ceremony, the 2008 Writers Guild Awards.

With film writers turning in increasing numbers to game writing, the Writers Guild Awards this year will include for the first time a category to honor those working in the games industry. The five games nominated by the WGA for this year's award run a surprisingly diverse spectrum of what the industry has to offer.

The full list of this year's nominations is as follows.

Crash of the Titans - Writer Christopher Mitchell (Sierra Entertainment)
Dead Head Fred - Writers Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan (D3 Publisher)
The Simpsons Game - Lead Writer Matt Selman, Writers Tim Long and Matt Warburton, Dialogue Jeff Poliquin (EA)
The Witcher - Lead Story Designer Artur Ganszyniec, Dialogue Sebastian Stepien, Additional Dialogue Marcin Blacha, writers Sande Chen and Anne Toole (Atari)
World in Conflict - Story Design Christofer Emgard, Story Consultant Larry Bond, Script Consultant Ed Zuckerman (Sierra Entertainment)

To be eligible for nomination in the Videogame Writing Awards, a game must have been released between December 1, 2006 and November 30, 2007. Adding the most significant limitation to the nascent award, the writers must be members of the WGA's New Media Caucus or have applied to become members. The 2008 Writers Guild Awards winners will be announced on February 9.