While video games are full of passionate and excited people, there are certain people in the gaming industry that have a huge impact. Games are certainly more than one person, but sometimes there are names that bubble to the top. This isn’t about one single person, and we’d certainly love to honor everyone who helped make games and bring them to the players and who has a voice in this industry. We’d love to honor every wonderful individual in this industry, but in 2020, there was one that stuck out above the rest. Here are the PlayStation LifeStyle nominations for Industry Person of the Year in 2020.
Industry Person of the Year 2020 Winner
Kahlief Adams (Spawn On Me Podcast)
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In 2020, there was a continued rallying cry for more diverse and inclusive voices within the video game industry. Following the tragic events of the police murder of George Floyd that shone (yet another) spotlight on the inequality of being Black in America, Kahlief Adams gathered a panel of Black creators within the video game industry to educate and and inform in a special Spawn On Me podcast episode entitled “A Lesson in Blackness.”
Adams isn’t afraid to get real, to advocate for what he believes in, and to speak his own mind while lifting up the voices around him that deserve to be heard. He’s one of the hardest working and most passionate people within games, and a necessary voice for the industry to continue to evolve and grow. This year we wanted to honor more than just the popular big names and studio heads that always garner attention, and felt that no voice spoke more clearly, more concisely, or more fervidly than that of Kahlief Adams.
Reader’s Choice Winner
Neil Druckmann (Director, The Last of Us Part II)
Neil Druckmann took on a bold and daring project in The Last of Us Part II, telling a divisive and emotional story. He followed up a near perfect game with a new narrative that not only told that great story, but expanded on and changed the lens of the original. Our readers felt that he and his work were a highlight of the year, voting him as the Reader’s Choice winner for this award.
Don’t miss our full lineup of nominees and winners for the PlayStation LifeStyle Game of the Year awards. We’ll be revealing the rest of our winners tomorrow, leading up to the Game of the Year award!