Wow, what a night. The combo IGF and Game Developer Choice Awards ceremony was a blast (and ended ahead of schedule). I had the honor of sitting at the same table as Ralph Baer, chatting him up ahead of the show.
Might heart was pounding by the time they got to my bit. Big Huge Games’ Brian Reynolds (a previous chairman of the IGDA) did a wonderful intro/presentation and then I went into auto-pilot. No joke, it was hard to sense my limbs or actually hear anything as I made my way to the stage. Weird.
Anyway, here’s the script that I worked from for my acceptance speech - I didn’t quite nail it, but close enough.
And, I thought being called a jackass and idiot on national TV by Jack Thompson was reward enough!
OK, more seriously, this is a huge and unexpected honor. Thanks. This is indeed a role reversal for me as I’m normally the one giving out the awards. I often tease that I use awards to guilt developers into doing more volunteer work and pay their member dues on time. So, I’m not sure what that means in this context…
This award was really a surprise. Really. When I got the call, I was asked if I was sitting down. First thing that came to mind was that I was in trouble for something! I mostly see myself as a steward of the IGDA and its mission, more so giving others the platform and opportunity to be ambassadors themselves. I suppose I didn’t even see myself as being eligible for this award. I mean, this is my job. I get paid to do this kind of work. So, I kinda have an advantage over mostly everyone else. I certainly wouldn’t have picked me.
I see those that go above and beyond their “day job” to push the industry and society forward as being most deserving. Someone like Henry Jenkins of MIT comes to mind. Or, the awesome Penny-Arcade guys with their Childs’Play Charity raising millions of dollars for sick children. Or, even someone like Danny Ledonne, hated by many for creating the Columbine game, yet is one of the most articulate and outspoken people on games as an expressive medium of cultural significance. Nevermind, the sheer weight of Will Wright’s brain should net him an Ambassador Award ahead of me!
I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for this award, this is truly a wonderful honor. But, I’m just one person. What the industry needs now is for each one of you to get out there and be an ambassador for games, for game culture, for the profession of game development.
Apathy is for losers. Fine, you don’t have time to start a charity or fight Jack, then let your work do the talking. Your collective creative output is the real ambassador that touches millions on a global basis. Games have the ability to transform the world. Don’t lose sight of that. You create culture. We ARE culture.
Like it or not, you are all already ambassadors for games. So, better make the most of that responsibility! Award or not, I can’t ever do that for you.
To close up, I’d just like to say a special thanks to Chris Hecker and Jennifer Pahlka. About 7.5 year ago, Chris forwarded my “looking for a new opportunity” email to Jen. Jen and the IGDA board at the time were desperate just enough to give this caveman from Montreal a shot. And, I’m the first to admit that I had no freaking clue what I was doing – and I’m still learning every day. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to grow and to continue to serve you.
Thanks!
