The Golden Joystick Awards presented by Green Man Gaming today announces that Ken Levine, BioShock Creative Director and Co-Founder of Irrational Games, will be bestowed with a special Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s ceremony.
For the first time in its 31 year history, the Golden Joystick Awards will honour an individual for their lifetime’s work by celebrating Levine’s creative accomplishments ranging from1999’s System Shock 2 to 2013’s BioShock Infinite.
Recognised as a luminary of the gaming world, Levine led the creation of the five-million-unit-selling, multiple-game-of-the-year-winning BioShock.
As the highest-rated first-person-shooter of all time, the masterpiece helped spark the ‘games as art’ debate. Levine’s latest game, BioShock Infinite, released in March this year, has already won 88 awards and has sold more than four million units to date.
Described by legendary film director Guillermo del Toro as ‘one of the best world creators in any of the visual forms’, Levine is also penning a screenplay based on the sci-fi tale Logan’s Run for Warner Bros.
Upon hearing the news, Levine took a moment to contemplate the time he has spent in the industry: “In most fields, people begin their careers being inspired by others. In turn, they hopefully end up inspiring others. The great thing about the still-maturing nature of video games is you get to be inspired by the work of novices and veterans alike. We’re all figuring out day by day exactly what the medium is capable of.”
Tim Clark, Group Senior Editor – Golden Joysticks and Future Games says: “From spaceships infected with extraterrestrial intelligence to the brutal politics of a city beyond the clouds, Ken Levine’s games transport players to new worlds that are as rich as they are dark.
Best known for the critically-acclaimed BioShock series, his exploration of player choice and consequence, as well as his dizzying imaginative design work and storytelling, continues to be a huge influence on game makers around the world.
As this year’s BioShock Infinite proved, Levine is one of the most interesting creators working in games – and its fitting that he should be the inaugural winner of our Lifetime Achievement award.”
The Golden Joystick Awards are the world’s most popular and credible games awards and celebrate the very best in the gaming industry.
The award will be in addition to the 15 fiercely contested gamer-voted categories, including Most Wanted in association with Playfire, Best Gaming Moment in association with Absolute Radio, Best Gaming Platform in association with Digital Spy and The YouTube Gamer Award.
Levine was selected for the honour by a group of gaming experts made up from Future’s enviable portfolio of games brands, including CVG, GamesRadar, Official Xbox Magazine, Official PlayStation Magazine, Edge and PC Gamer.
Levine has just wrapped up his work on BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode 1, the new add-on content pack for BioShock Infinite and is currently working on BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode 2, which brings gamers something they have been asking for since they first met the character of Elizabeth: the chance to see the world through her eyes and face challenges as Elizabeth would.
The Golden Joystick Awards will take place at The Westminster Park Plaza on Friday 25th October, 2013. For more information on the Golden Joystick Awards, visit http://www.goldenjoystick.com
About the Golden Joystick Awards presented by Green Man Gaming:
Established in 1982, the Golden Joystick Awards is the world’s longest-running and best-known gaming awards.
It’s the only annual major awards voted for by gamers and a highlight of the games industry calendar.
In 2012, it attracted a record 4 million votes, breaking its own record as the World’s Most Popular Videogames Awards by Guinness World Records.
The Golden Joystick Awards presented by Green Man Gaming 2013 ceremony takes place on October 25th at the Westminster Bridge Park Plaza.
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