Jordan Mechner, Mark DeLoura set for Game Developers Choice Awards
Prince of Persia creator and White House advisor to receive Pioneer, Ambassador awards respectively at March 1 ceremony
As has become tradition, two honorees at this year's Game Developers Choice Awards were announced ahead of time. Organizers today announced that the March ceremony will see Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner receive the Pioneer Award, while Obama White House advisor Mark DeLoura is bestowed the Ambassador Award.
The Pioneer Award was created to honor breakthrough technological and game design work. Mechner's body of work would qualify him for the award several times over, from the rotoscoped animation techniques he used for Karateka and Prince of Persia to the narrative mystery The Last Express.
With stints at Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft, DeLoura has had an impressive career in game development of his own. However, his Ambassadorship is more likely attributable to joining the Obama administration in 2013 to serve as Senior Advisor for Digital Media for the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He spent two years in that role, although organizers noted that DeLoura's dedication to education and the productive use of technology has extended far beyond that period.
As usual, the Game Developers Choice Awards will be held at San Francisco's Moscone Center during the Game Developers Conference. This year's ceremony is set for March 1 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific and will be streamed online.