At their VIP Luncheon at this year's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) honoured International Hobo's founder, Managing Director & Creative Overlord with their prestigious MVP Award, "for outstanding and immeasurable contributions to the IGDA and the betterment of the game development community."

Chris arrived late to the luncheon, and had no idea he was to receive the award. He had just finished hurriedly eating his first course when IGDA Program Director Jason Della Rocca made the announcement, much to Chris' shock. Jason explained that the award was in recognition for Chris' work establishing and running the IGDA's North West UK Chapter, and the Game Writers' Special Interest Group, for which he has served on the Executive Panel for five years.

"It must have been a slow year," Chris quipped upon taking the podium, displaying a quintessentially British sense of self-deprecating humour. He also noted how ironic that he would be called to speak at the point in the show when he was both hung over and badly jet lagged and thus reduced to "an intellectual imbecile". However, he praised the contributions of the other members of the Game Writers' SIG and noted: "If Newton is famous for the phrase 'standing on the shoulders of giants', I like to think that I have been carried along by a crowd of enthusiastic and talented midgets."

He accepted the award on behalf of the whole of the Game Writers' SIG.