14 DAY TRIAL // The Korea Game Industry Agency held a ceremony during which it announced the winners of the first Global Online Game Awards. The idea is for the best online titles to be showcased so that gamers all over the world know what they should play online the next year. It makes sense for Korea to host such a ceremony, as multiplayer games are highly popular in the country.
World of Warcraft from Blizzard took the Role Playing Game award, while Kartrider from Nexon took the award for the Racing/Casual genre. City of Heroes/City of Villains from NCSoft, initially developed by Cryptic, received the award for the Adventure/Action genre, while FIFA 09 from EA Sports was given the award for the Sports game. EVE Online, created by Iceland developers CCP, received the award for the Strategic Simulation game genre. The best multiplayer First Person Shooter is Counterstrike Source from Valve. The members of the jury emphasized aspects related to the multiplayer experience when evaluating the games, trying to showcase those that have innovative elements.
Choi Kyu-nam, who is the president of the Korea Game Industry Agency and the main organizer of the Global Online Game Awards, declared that “This event will serve as an important opportunity for Korea to contribute to the revitalization of the global online game industry. I sincerely congratulate excellent games from every nation including Korea, North America, and Europe, they truly deserve the recognition”.
As more and more people are claiming that PC gaming is dead, the rise of MMOs and other multiplayer games shows how this platform can be used to create interesting and interactive experiences. At the moment, Sony is working hard to move MMOs to consoles, with titles like DC Universe Online, but the most complex multiplayer experiences, including those that received awards, are still happening on the PC.