Bing Gordon to receive AIAS lifetime achievement award
EA vet and Kleiner Perkins investor to be honoured at DICE Summit
Electronic Arts veteran and venture capitalist Bing Gordon is to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences at the Dice Summit next month.
Gordon spent 25 years at Electronic Arts before moving to Kleiner Perkins, where he lead investment in former EA Blueprint boss Neil Young's ngmoco, and social games firm Zynga.
"Whether it is developing a new ground breaking marketing campaign, running one of the largest videogame industry publishers or taking a risk and starting over with social gaming, Bing has left a lasting mark on the videogame industry," said Martin Rae, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
"He really believed in the videogame industry and dedicated his life to nurturing and growing the industry into what it is today. Always ready for a new challenge he saw the same potential in the social gaming category and took on this frontier, an industry that has really erupted and has really changed this industry."
Previous winners of the lifetime achievement honour include Nintendo's Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln and ESA founder Doug Lowenstein.
"Bing is clearly one of the key visionaries and drivers who helped shape the videogame industry," said V. Paul Lee, managing partner of Vanedge Capital.
"He has been a mentor, friend, partner and advisor, not just for me, but for a number of the key leaders in the industry. Bing also has more fun than anyone I know - and his zest for life informs an equally impressive intuition for consumer and lifestyle trends. He understands change because he has such a great time living it."