The Game Developer Choice Awards, to be held at the Game Developers Conference, will see two very special awards offered to people that have greatly shaped the gaming industry as a whole. The announcement for both the Pioneer and Ambassador Awards will see three men recognized for their achievements for the gaming industry.
The Pioneer Award, which recognizes achievement in paving the way for the industry, will be given to Dave Theurer, who developed Missile Command and Tempest. His work in the early days of Atari helped pave the way for the company to become a big name in the early, struggling, days of the industry.
"It’s very difficult to find a game developer who doesn’t have a single memory of Missile Command or his other classic, Tempest," said Meggan Scavio, general manager of the Game Developers Conference. “We’re delighted to honor Dave Theurer for his work as a designer which resulted in shaping so many developers’ creative drive in the genre.”
The Ambassador Award will be handed out to two men, both lawyers who fought on the Supreme Court case arguing against the ban on sales of games for minors in California. The two will be recognized for their support of the industry, and their support for developer rights pertaining to the 1st Amendment.
The awards will be hosted by Epic’s Cliff Bleszinski and will take place March 7 in San Francisco.
