GDCA event organizers today said Dave Theurer will receive its 2012 Pioneer Award, presented each year to a person who "creates breakthrough video game genres or concepts." Theurer is most famous for creating Atari arcade games Missile Command, Tempest, and I, Robot.

"It's very difficult to find a game developer who doesn't have a single memory of Missile Command or his other classic, Tempest," said Game Developers Conference general manager Meggan Scavio. "We're delighted to honor Dave Theurer for his work as a designer, which resulted in shaping so many developers' creative drive in the genre."

As for the Ambassador award, this accolade is presented to a person or persons who "helped the game industry advance to a better place." This year's award is being given to Ken Doroshow and Paul M. Smith, the lawyers who fought on behalf of the game industry in the Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association Supreme Court case concerning the sale of violent video games. The case ended this summer with the court siding with the gaming industry.

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/z-6349120