The Inquisitr’s First Annual Video Game Awards
Today, Monday, December 17, 2012 is a special occasion for gamers everywhere. Today is the day we announce The Inquisitr’s First Annual Video Game Awards and everyone here is excited. Yet our joy is tinged with sadness over the tragedy that shocked our nation and the world on Friday in Newtown, Connecticut. A troubled young man took the lives of six teachers, his mother and 20 wonderful young children. It is with great humility and respect that we dedicate this year’s awards to all the children from Sandy Hook Elementary School and to children everywhere. Our hearts are broken yet we will go on and build a better world. A world in which every single child experiences joy and wonder and all their dreams come true.
We also have a great privilege and duty this year to award The First Annual Inquisitr Sean Smith Memorial Online Game Of The Year to honor a fallen American hero, Sean Smith. Sean gave his life in the service of his country in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, while trying to defend United States Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens. Four Americans perished that day and we honor each of them: Sean Smith, Chris Stevens, Glen Doherty, and Tyrone Woods. We will never forget their sacrifice.
There are several hundred thousand gamers who play EVE Online who knew Sean Smith and respected him. Sean was a devoted player of the popular Space MMORPG and he embraced the game with a passion. Over the years, Sean was one of the leading diplomats in the game and he was elected to the Council of Stellar Management. He worked tirelessly with his fellow players and the developers at CCP Games to make EVE Online the game it is today.
The EVE Online community responded to the loss of Sean Smith AKA Vile Rat (his avatar name) in a way that only gamers can. They paid tribute to a fallen hero and united to preserve and cherish his memory. Hundreds of players named their bases for Sean and a fund was launched that raised over $125,000 for Sean’s family. We will never forget Sean. He inspired every one of us to be better, more loving human beings.
Elise Randolph, another well known EVE Online player and personal friend of Sean’s, wrote this moving tribute:
“Whether you knew him or not, the game we play was sculpted in large part by Vile Rat. He was a monumental player within the game and Eve will be worse without him. I was fortunate enough to know the man behind the avatar, Sean. To say he was a good man would be a gross understatement; simply put he was as good a man as they come. It was impossible not to respect and admire his passion and devotion to his family and his work. On CSM6 we were often times on opposing sides, but at the end of the day we were always able to sit back, laugh, and talk as friends. That’s the type of man he was, and I consider myself very lucky to have called him “friend”. He will be sorely missed and my heart goes out to his family and loved ones.”
Gaming is more than just fun and recreation. It is a way to make friends, gain knowledge and expand our horizons. As humanity begins to truly embrace the virtual world, Video Games have become a major part of the human experience. With that in mind, we honor all the winners of our 2012 Inquisitr First Annual Video Game Awards.
First and foremost, before we reveal the winners of all the categories, we have two special awards to announce, beginning with The Inquisitr Sean Smith Memorial Online Game Of The Year. The first winner of this award is an online game that set the standard by which all other online games are measured. They have embraced excellence and offered gamers an ever evolving world to explore and conquer since November 23, 2004.
Drum Roll Please! We are pleased to announce that Blizzard’s World of Warcraft Mists Of Pandaria is the deserving winner of The InquisitrSean Smith Memorial Online Game Of The Year Award. Congratulations to the team at Blizzard and to the 10 million plus players who help make WoW great.
The second award to be given special mention is The Inquisitr Best Online Game Community Award. The gaming writers at Inquisitr.com are proud to name the EVE Online Community the winner of this award. The dignity of your conduct and the love you showed for a fallen comrade exemplifies the impact Sean had on everyone who knew him. We salute you for your outstanding spirit.
And now for all the deserving winners. Congratulations all around!
The Inquisitr Sean Smith Memorial Online Game Of The Year – World Of Warcraft Mists Of Pandaria
The Inquisitr Writer’s Choice Award For Most Innovative Online Game – The Secret World
The Inquisitr Game Developer Of The Year Online Games – Ragnar Tornquist, Martin Harsheim Bruusgaard and Joe Bylos Of Funcom
The Inquisitr Game Developer Of The Year PC and Console Games- Telltale Games
The Inquisitr Video Game Personality Of the Year – Chris Roberts
The Inquisitr Best New Online Game – Guild Wars 2
The Inquisitr Best Online Space Sim – EVE Online
The Inquisitr Best Online First Person Shooter – PlanetSide 2
The Inquisitr Best Online Game Expansion – Lord Of The Rings Online Riders Of Rohan
The Inquisitr Most Promising Online Game – Firefall
The Inquisitr Best Online Game Storyline – The Secret World
The Inquisitr Best Online Game Leveling – Guild Wars 2
The Inquisitr Best Online Game Graphics – Tera
The Inquisitr Best Online Game Combat – Tera
The Inquisitr Best Online Game Community – EVE Online
The Inquisitr PC Game Of The Year- PlanetSide 2
The Inquisitr Console Game Of The Year- Halo 4
The Inquisitr Multiplatform Game Of The Year- The Walking Dead: The Game
The Inquisitr Best PC or Console Action Game- Dishonored
The Inquisitr Most Promising PC or Console Game- The Last of Us
The Inquisitr Best PC Game Graphics- Max Payne 3
The Inquisitr Best Console Game Graphics- Halo 4
The Inquisitr Best PC or Console Game Story- The Walking Dead: The Game
THIS IS FOR YOU VILE RAT. WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU.
SEAN SMITH
1978 – 9/11/2012
Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love.
Morihei Ueshiba
This article was written by Wolff Bachner and Daniel McCall.
