New York City, Jan. 13, 2021 – Streaming in advance of the 10th annual New York Game Awards ceremony later this month, the New York Videogame Critics Circle will honor Brenda and John Romero, who shaped modern gaming and most recently co-founded Romero Games, with its Andrew Yoon Legend Award. The Legend Award recognizes individuals and organizations that exhibit a significant, sustained body of work that shows exceptional achievement and innovation. Brenda and John, the ultimate creative couple, are honored with the Legend Award tomorrow via Twitch and YouTube starting at 8 pm ET. Past recipients of the Legend award include Reggie Fils-Aimé, Jade Raymond, Richard Garriott, Todd Howard, Rockstar Games, Ralph Baer and earlier this month, Jerry Lawson.
“We present Brenda and John Romero with our Andrew Yoon Legend Award, as both Brenda and John have long, storied histories in games,” said New York Videogame Critics Circle founder and board president, Harold Goldberg. “Yet they've never been lauded together. It's time for that to change."
“Thinking back on my history in games, I could not imagine a moment that I’d be given an award by people I admire so much,” said Brenda Romero. “I couldn’t have gotten any of this without every single person I’ve ever worked with; every programmer, artist, producer, designer, player, fan, etc., is the reason that I’m here. I couldn’t have gotten any of this without the people I’ve worked with along the way.”
“Making games with a spirit of daily fun is the reason we still make them,” said John Romero. “We focus not on the end result of shipping a game, but that fact that every day should be a good experience making a game and enjoying the team we’re making the game with. That’s why we’re still doing it, because we like to build teams that like to work together.”
Frequently referred to the “father of first person shooters,” and considered one of the world’s top game designers, John Romero is an award-winning game programmer, designer and level designer with over 100 games published commercially including DOOM, Quake, Heretic and Hexen. One of the earliest indie developers, John began working in the game space in 1979; he is a completely self-taught programmer, designer and artist, having drawn his inspirations from early Apple II programmers.
Brenda Romero is a BAFTA award-winning game director, entrepreneur, artist and Fulbright award recipient and is presently game director and creator of the Empire of Sin. As a game director, Brenda has worked on 50 games and contributed to many seminal titles, including the Wizardry and the Jagged Alliance series and titles in the Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons and Def Jam franchises.
For the 10th anniversary of the Awards, not just one, but multiple industry greats will be honored with the Andrew Yoon Legend Award. Jerry Lawson was honored last week, with upcoming award streams tomorrow and Jan. 21 via Twitch and YouTube.
Streaming of the Andrew Yoon Legend Award recipients lead up to the New York Game Awards 10th anniversary show on January 26; the previously ticketed and in-person-only event streams free for all to attend via Twitch and YouTube, with pre-show at 7:30 pm ET and Awards starting at 8 pm ET via Twitch and YouTube. The annual New York Game Awards, presented by the New York Videogame Critics Circle, goes global with a virtual-only event, allowing for a group of presenters and performers that’s incomparable, including former Legend Award winners, performances by new and returning musical guests and a collection of industry greats to be announced shortly. The Awards celebrate the NYVGCC’s non-profit work in underserved communities, as well as the best games and game developers in the industry.
NYVGCC members are a culturally diverse and passionate group of videogame journalists from media outlets including Tom’s Guide, CNET, Time and The Washington Post; view a full list of members here. For more information on getting involved through volunteering or fundraising with the NYVGCC, click here. Click here for more information on the New York Videogame Critics Circle or contact founder Harold Goldberg at mediacur@gmail.com. To donate, click here.
New York Videogame Critics Circle Programs Include:
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DreamYard Project at DreamYard Prep School in the Bronx, NY, offering mentoring, paid internships and college scholarships for underserved students.
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Mentoring, full courses and paid internships of students at the Bronxworks network of homeless shelters.
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Lower East Side mentoring and internships through a partnership with the Henry Street Settlement and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
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Community events at The Abrons Arts Center.
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Older adults mentoring at O.A.T.S., Older Adult Technology Services, at their Senior Planet tech center in Manhattan's Chelsea area.
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New York Public Library system panels, talks and discussions about jobs in games and how games bring people together.
About the New York Videogame Critics Circle
Based in Manhattan, the New York Videogame Critics Circle is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit multicultural organization comprised of 40 of the finest videogame critics, writers, reporters and bloggers and in the nation. Members of the NYVGCC give back to their communities by providing scholarships, mentoring and community outreach to NYC schools students. The New York Videogame Critics Circle sees great benefit in advocating for those who are less fortunate.
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