Gordon Bellamy marks 20 years in gaming with new direction

Dustin Clingman, chair of the board of directors, and CEO, ZeeGee Games, will serve as the interim Executive Director until a suitable replacement is found.

“Gordon has done great things for the IGDA. He has been a tireless and thoughtful champion publicly as well as behind the scenes for our community,” Clingman said. “We wish him well in his new position.”

During Bellamy’s two years as executive director, the association began several new programs and saw a marked increase in membership and chapters. Among the programs Bellamy spearheaded was the expansion of the IGDA’s Scholars program.

Bellamy is among the 13th annual 50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology. He is featured in the ReUNION: Education-Arts-Heritage documentary A Great Day in Gaming: From Queens to Silicon Valley: The Gerald A. Lawson Story. Bellamy meets Lawson, inventor of the first cartridge video game console, during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and pays tribute to Lawson's importance to the industry.

Among Bellamy's early inspirations was family friend Roy L. Clay Sr., a member of the Silicon Valley Hall of Fame and chair of Rod-L Electronics.  Bellamy went on to gain an engineering degree from Harvard University.

Before becoming executive director, Bellamy was a member of the IGDA board of directors, serving as Board Chair in 2010. He will now rejoin the board and finish the third year of his board term.

“It is a great privilege to serve our global development community,’ Bellamy said. I want to thank our leaders and their inspiring colleagues who paved the way for me to have the opportunity to serve our community. As I enter my 20th year in our craft, I will still be very much involved with its leadership as we move forward. It is incumbent upon developers to value and help other developers.”