For the third annual MMO Hall of Fame induction ceremony, five games have been selected. These titles were chosen for their major contributions to the medium but also were weighed on their community.
Lauded games honored this year are:
- Guild Wars – 2005
- Star Wars Galaxies – 2003
- Planetside – 2003
- Lords of the Rings Online – 2007
- Wizard101 – 2008
There are a few surprises in that bunch. First off, it must sting for Star Wars Galaxies to make the cut, certainly as it doesn’t exist anymore. Galaxies were taken offline, after heavy protests from fans, in 2011.
Yet, the odd one out is Wizard101, which you may not know since it’s not exactly rummaging through the same circles. This online game is made as a safe haven for family-friendly entertainment. It’s also the most recent title to be inducted, in its first year of eligibility.
So, where does that suddenly stem from? Well, here are the names of the 2014 MMO Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, along with their respective base of operation:
- Carsten van Husen – Gameforge
- Andreas Weidenhaupt – Infernum Productions
- Linda Carlson – Sony Online Entertainment
- Mark Hill – Perfect World Entertainment
- Torsten Meier – Bigpoint
- Terri Perkins – Funcom
- Richard Vogel – BattleCry Studios, A Division of Bethesda Softworks
- Eric Bloom – Lead Vocalist of Blue Oyster Cult
- Carolyn Koh – MMO Gaming Writer
- J. Todd Coleman – Wizard101
Did you catch that last one? That’s right; the creator of Wizard101 is on the board that decides if Wizard101 is a worthy candidate. Their right up there with the singer of Blue Oyster Cult, an authority figure on the medium.
Similar things can be noted for Planetside and Star Wars Galaxies for Sony Online Entertainment, though their push has been more chronicled in the online universe.
To give you an idea of how nominees are decided, we’ll give you the excerpt detailing the selection process below:
Each committee member selects 10 games they feel have set standards in the gaming field. The lists of nominees are forwarded to the Hall of Fame and tallied by the curator. Any games receiving 60 percent of the votes become automatic inductees.
What do you make of the decision? Let us know in the comments.
