Tonight at the second annual Game Developers’ Choice Online Awards in Austin, the GDC honored the best in online gaming. Three Rings Design’s won Best Online Game Design with their charming MMO Spiral Knights. KingsIsle Entertainment’s Wizard 101 won the Audience Award, and Minecraft won both of the categories in which it was nominated, Best Community Management and Best Live Game.
Everquest was inducted into the GDC Online Awards Hall of Fame. Richard Garriott, aka “Lord British,” whose MMO Ultima Online was inducted last year, came onstage to pass the torch. “While Ultima Online is often credited with breaking the MMO open,” Garriott said, “there is no doubt that Everquest perfected it.”
The Awards were hosted by Minespark Interactive Network’s Mike Goslin, who was darned funny, dropping some solid jokes into his routine. “I have to talk about Zynga, since they’re nominated twice in this category,” he said of the “Best Social Game” category nominee. “Can you believe that they’re suing another company for copying their copies of games?” Gardens of Time wound up beating out Zynga in that category; in two years, Zynga games haven’t won any GDC Online Awards.
Both Kelton Flinn and John Taylor received the Online Game Legend Award, which recognises the career and achievements of those who have had an impact on online game development. Both Flinn and Taylor founded Kesmai Corporation in 1982, and worked on the games Air Warrior and Island of Kesmai.
Full List of Winners:
Best Online Game Design: Spiral Knights | Three Rings Design/Sega
Best Online Visual Arts: DC Universe Online | Sony Online Entertainment
Best Online Technology: Rift | Trion Worlds
Audience Award Winner: Wizard 101 | KingsIsle Entertainment
Online Innovation Award Shadow Cities Grey Area
Best Audio for an Online Game: Clone Wars Adventures |
Best Community Relations: Minecraft | Mojang
Best Social Network Game: Gardens of Time | Playdom
Best Live Game Minecraft | Mojang
Best New Online Game Rift | Trion Worlds
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