One of the genuine good guys of the video game biz was honored this week at the Game Developers Conference.

Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) was presented with the "Ambassador Award" at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony on Wednesday evening. Of Della Rocca's selection, Simon Carless, publisher and editorial director of Gamasutra, said:

Jason Della Rocca continues to advocate for game developers on multiple vital levels, from quality of life through crediting and beyond. The Advisory Committee felt it was high time to recognize him as a true Ambassador to our industry.

Della Rocca posted his acceptance speech on his Reality Panic blog:

And, I thought being called a jackass and idiot on national TV by Jack Thompson was reward enough!

...this is truly a wonderful honor. But, I’m just one person. What the industry needs now is for each one of you to get out there and be an ambassador for games, for game culture, for the profession of game development.

Apathy is for losers. Fine, you don’t have time to start a charity or fight Jack, then let your work do the talking. Your collective creative output is the real ambassador that touches millions on a global basis. Games have the ability to transform the world. Don’t lose sight of that. You create culture. We ARE culture.