the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Don James, longtime leader and cornerstone of the… Nintendo of AmericaThe company’s legacy will be honored with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
This recognition will be celebrated on its 28th anniversary Dice prizeswhich will be held on February 13, 2025, at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas.
James joined Nintendo of America in 1981 as one of its first employees. As Executive Vice President of Operations, he oversaw numerous departments including customer services, design, experiential marketing, real estate and facilities, manufacturing engineering, quality control, supply chain operations, purchasing, product testing, technical services and technical translation.
During his tenure, James was instrumental in creating the current Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating system for the video game industry and creating the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), now known as the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), where he served on the Board of Directors.
In the early 1990s, James was instrumental in the creation of the world-famous Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). He has also been an integral part of AIAS, having been a member of the Board of Directors since 1991.
James was also the lead agent for Nintendo of America’s relationship with the Starlight Children’s Foundation. He co-designed the Nintendo GameCube Starlight Fun Center in 2002 and led Nintendo of America’s support of Starlight to bring games and movies to seriously ill children in hospitals.
James is also an active supporter of charitable organizations, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Pratt Fine Arts Center.
“I am truly honored to receive this award from the Academy,” James said in a statement. “This industry is full of so many talented and creative people, and it has been an absolute honor to get to know and work with so many of them over the past decades. My career has been a truly wild and fun ride, and I am proud of all the opportunities I have been lucky enough to have.”
“Don James has been a humble and integral part of the gaming industry, from his founding work at Nintendo of America to his passion at the Starlight Children’s Foundation,” AIAS President Megan Scavio said in a statement. He has led countless impactful initiatives that have created lasting change throughout his career, including here at the Academy. We are thrilled to celebrate his extraordinary legacy and tremendous contributions to the history of video games.
The AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award is for individuals whose accompaniment covers a wide range of specialisms over a long career in industry. Recipients are typically individuals who excel in their business leadership and are not necessarily involved in the development or innovation process. Through their leadership and ideology, these individuals have created significant and positive change throughout the industry.
Previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners include: Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln (2006), Ken Kutaragi (2007), Doug Lowenstein (2009), Bing Gordon (2010), Satoru Iwata (2015), Genio Takeda (2017) and Phil Spencer (2022). ). Additional information about all special award winners can be found here
Tickets for the 2025 DICE Summit and the 28th Annual DICE Awards can be found at: . Stay up to date with all the AIAS news by following AIAS on Bluesky, Instagram and Twitter.
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