Albuquerque, NMThe National Video Game Association is pleased to announce the first National Video Game Championships and Super Conference. The event will be held at the Albuquerque Convention Center May 21-25, 2008.

The conference will be a one-of-a-kind experience where gamers can compete in several top games including Halo 3, Guitar Hero 3 and Command & Conquer. Unlike other gaming championships, gamers at the National Super Con can also suggest and run tournaments on any game they choose.

"We want this to be a conference for gamers of all types," NVGA President Jason Montoya said. "We'll have events for hardcore tournament players, but also for casual players who just want to come, watch some competitions and try out the latest game offerings from our vendors."

The Super Con will also feature an anime festival, educational seminars from professional gamers and those in the game programming industry, and a market area where gamers can check out new games and offerings from several NVGA sponsors.

"There's something for everyone to enjoy," Montoya said. "We even have resources available to help our participants break into the gaming industry - as programmers or as professional gamers."

The National Video Game Association is a growing national gamer's group focused on competition, education, and creating a healthy balance between daily life and video game playing.

For more information, visit the NVGA's website at www.nvgaonline.com/SuperCon/.

Special Game Design Event
The Rio Grande Chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) will host a Game Design Workshop and Challenge on Saturday, May 24th as part of the National Video Game Association Championship. Led by local game professionals Luke Nihlen (10th Artist) and Jonathan Whetzel (Sandia National Labs), attendees will participate in a one hour workshop on the principles of game design and then receive the game design challenge. With three hours to develop a game idea based on the challenge, participants will pitch their idea to a panel from the local IGDA as part of its May meeting.  Cost is $5 to participate and the winning individual or team will receive a minimum $100 cash prize. Contact: Eric Renz-Whitmore at ewhitmore@gmail.com or visit http://groups.google.com/group/riogrande-igda for additional information.