We present voices from our present and past 10 years as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the New York Videogame Critics Circle and the New York Game Awards. So here they are! (We’ll add more to this post after the New York Game Awards on 1/26.
Daniel Radosh, Senior Writer, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had being a presenter at every New York Game Awards and the host for three of the early years. I remember welcoming people to the second annual ceremony by saying that we had decided to do it again “because if there’s one thing this industry teaches us, it’s that there’s no better way to honor creativity than churning out sequels.” And now here we are at year 10 — I can hardly believe it! It’s been such a privilege to be part of this team. And while I always managed to lose the free Steam codes included in the program by the time I made it home each year, the real treasure has been the Twitter mutuals I made along the way. I’ll really miss seeing everyone in person this year!
Rudy Blanco, Director of Entrepreneurship and Gaming, DreamYard Project
For the last 6 years, the NYVGCC has been working with The DreamYard Project in The Bronx to sing the songs of the unheard careers in this industry. (Note: Founder Harold Goldberg began mentoring students at DreamYard career days and college essay days in 2012 – without the Circle.)
Over the years, thanks to the NYVGCC, DreamYard students have participated in innovative scholarship opportunities consisting of narrative writing, storytelling, game design, character production and game reviews. We went to the Tribeca Game Awards, VIP Style. We’ve met executives at top gaming companies for private life/experience shares and who can absolutely forget the two times that Reggie Fils-Aimé showed up to surprise our students and share his life story with the community. The list can go on, but I’ve been capped at 200 words!
Over the years, we co-developed a curriculum that has allowed us to structure this work. For perspective, this partnership has served over 250+ kids, NYVGCC has hired 7 paid writer/interns from our program, and most recently in collaboration with NYC Summer Youth Employment and DreamYard, a full paid summer internship for 20 kids to learn Games Journalism under the daily tutelage of an NYVGCC author and with panels of journalists, game developers and streamers.
On behalf of The DreamYard Project and all of our young ones, staff and team – thank you. And please continue to tell your stories and help make this more representative body of journalists and writers keep the industry accountable.
Kimari Rennis, Senior Intern
In the New York Videogame Critics Circle, I am more than a writer. I am an equal part of the Circle community. I am an interviewer, an event goer, a games activist, a panelist, a podcaster, and a powerful voice in any conversation I am a part of. I am more than grateful. My wildest creative dreams were reached in a span of four years and all of them are tied to the New York Videogame Critics Circle.
When I say it’s been a dream, I’m not exaggerating. The program took me and our whole class to the Tribeca Film Festival to see Cory Barlog talk about the emotional journey that came from directing God of War. I got to take a picture with Hideo Kojima and hear the hilarious anecdotes he told about working with Norman Reedus when making Death Stranding.
Tim Lord, Co-Founder DreamYard Project
DreamYard is thrilled to partner with the New York Videogame Critics Circle. We believe that the arts and social justice education can help young people build pathways to opportunity. But it is only through partnerships like this, with a respected tech and business partner organization who believe our Bronx youth can be the next leaders in gaming and coding and design, that we can actually connect that pathway to lasting opportunity.
Thomas Knowlton, School Outreach Librarian, New York Public Library, Main Branch
Thank you for hosting a fantastic panel at New York Public Library! We had a total attendance of 1,656 people at Summer Reading Games Day 2018, which was almost double last year’s inaugural event. It was great seeing so many patrons excited to hear you speak as well as to try out the Oculus at your table throughout the rest of the day. Thanks again for your great partnership and I hope we can find more ways to collaborate in the future!
