John Romero at Inspirefest 2017. Image: Conor McCabe Photography
Romero will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for his iconic games, while Addis will be posthumously recognised for her pioneering role in the industry.
Legendary game developers John Romero and Mabel Addis will be recognised at the upcoming Game Developers Choice Awards for their contributions to the industry.
Romero will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on iconic first-person shooters such as Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein 3D.
Starting his career as an indie game developer in 1979, his games went on to win more than 100 industry awards, with some of his games being known as genre-defining pieces that greatly influenced first-person shooters.
Romero has co-founded 10 game companies throughout his career including Id Software and Galway-based Romero Games, which celebrated its seventh anniversary last year.
The game developer was a speaker at Inspirefest in 2016 and 2017, discussing topics such as his decision to move to Galway and how art should be treated as a gateway to STEM subjects for kids who like to draw.
Addis, meanwhile, will posthumously receive the Pioneer Award at the upcoming Game Developers Conference. She is known as the first woman video game designer, working as the lead designer for The Sumerian Game in 1964.
Her work is recognised for creating various innovations within the gaming industry such as game updates, in-game narrative experiences and early iterations of cutscenes in games.
Addis developed The Sumerian Game on the side while working as a teacher, using her degree in ancient history as an inspiration to create the game narrative about ancient Mesopotamia.
The award will be presented to Addis’ family at the event, to recognise the innovation, creativity and dedication to education she maintained through her professional life up until her passing on August 13, 2004.
Stephenie Hawkins, the Informa Tech director of event production for media and entertainment, said the awards will recognise Romero and Addis as “two of the most impactful game development talents in history”.
“The Game Developers Choice Awards are proud to honour two artists with wildly divergent career trajectories, who worked decades apart but shared a creative passion and ingenuity that would help define entire game genres for decades,” Hawkins said.
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