The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced that the 2014 recipient of its Pioneer Award will go to Eugene Jarvis, the creator of Defender, its sequel Stargate, and Robotron: 2084.

Jarvis' Pioneer Award is the sixth to be awarded by AIAS. The award is offered to video game industry professionals, "whose career-spanning work has helped shape and define the interactive entertainment industry through the creation of a technological approach or the introduction of a new genre." Jarvis' award will be presented by his associate Mark Turmell (the creator of NBA Jam and Bubble Safari) at the 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino Las Vegas on February 6.

Jarvis' arcades creations and innovations are still felt today with games like Geometry Wars and Resogun. Jarvis' Robotron: 2084 introduced the twin-stick control scheme – a now common control scheme in many video games.

To see the full press release covering Jarvis' award, head to page two.

Our Take
Jarvis is certainly deserving of the Pioneer Award, especially considering the resurgence in popularity of the twin-stick shooter – a genre he pioneered. Congratulations are in order for Jarvis.