ECD Systems, the innovator in anti-piracy and copy protection software, announced that entries are now being accepted for the company’s second-annual Independent Game Developers Showcase, a contest that draws the best new and unpublished games from independent game designers and self-publishers.

A key addition to this year’s event is a new category for casual games, a growing segment that is particularly popular among female gamers. The casual gaming market in the US is projected to be over $2 billion by 2008 according to the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and the added segment is intended to further raise the profile of casual games. ECD also has bolstered its support of women gamers and developers through a recently announced platinum sponsorship of the Women in Games International (WIGI) Regional Conference Series. Visit the site for total information. Entries due by 31 March.