Organizers for the 2008 Game Developers Conference have announced today that game industry legend Sid Meier, often referred to as the "Father of Computer Gaming," will be granted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Game Developers Choice Awards.

"The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career and achievements of developers such as Meier who have made an indelible impact on the craft of game development, as he has with the creation of a number of genre-defining titles including Civilization and Pirates!" said GDC reps.

Meier is a true luminary in the computer strategy game field. He started out as a founding partner of MicroProse Software and over the years has created some of the most critically acclaimed and influential games of our time, including F-19, Sid Meier's Civilization, Railroad Tycoon and Sid Meier's Pirates! Currently Meier is the Founding Partner and Director of Creative Development at Firaxis, where his games such as Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Sid Meier's Civilization IV continue to see critical and commercial success. Meier has received numerous industry awards; recently he was inducted into the Computer Museum of America's Hall of Fame in 2002.

"Sid Meier has served as one of our industry's greatest role models for more than 25 years, creating fun and intelligent games for a diverse public long before it was popular," said Jamil Moledina, executive director of the Game Developers Conference. "Now that the rest of the industry is actively targeting the broader audience, it's fitting to honor him with our highest award and thank him for his continuing example of inspiration for the video game community."

The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival and will be hosted on Wednesday, February 20, in the Esplanade Room in the South Hall of San Francisco's Moscone Center.