On March 20th, 2005, at 4:00 P.M. EST (9:00 P.M. GMT), the XYZZY Awards Ceremony was held at ifMUD. Below is the transcript of the event, not including side-comments that those in attendance made on the #peanut-gallery channel. Should you wish to see those comments, a version with those comments is also available.

 

lpsmith steps forward onto the stage, and taps the mike experimentally.
Esrom disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.
Rob claps!
K-Y says, "Woo!"
inky says, "hooray"
inky applauds.
DorianX says, "Kent got a lot, but he didn't beat the spread.\"
Paul cheers politely.
vbnz claps louder
lpsmith exclaims, "Greetings everyone, to the XYZZY Awards for the Best Games of 2004!"
baf stridulates
Jon claps
Eluchil applauds heartily.
Jota exclaims, "Hey, get off the stage, y'clown!"
Marvin says, "Hooray."
maga whoops
Bishop applauds.
klimas applauds.
DavidW claps
<Hugo> Hugo has connected to ifMUD.
Eluchil claps for all the nominees.
Jon smooches Fake_Jon_ingold
Tommy claps.
Kwi claps.
JoshuaH claps.
TShatrov claps
rrafgon claps
Jacqueline applauds.
Paul cheers rudely!
tilp whistles
vbnz jumps for joy and misses again
Fang applauds.
Rob woof woof woof
Hugo walks out from under the archway south of here, although you didn't notice him approaching it from the other side.
Jacqueline says, "Down boy"
BrenBarn says, "huzzah"
baf is all applaudy
Rob chants, "Hu-GO, hu-GO"
Jota says (to Rob), "Need a cough drop? It sounds like you've a dog in your throat."
lpsmith says, "Once again, we ask that people make comments on the #peanut-gallery channel, but you can clap and cheer here in the auditorium all you ant."
Fang cheers.
half claps
Eluchil asks, "Only ants can cheer?"
vbnz says, "ok boss"
lpsmith says, "Want."
Marvin gets caught up in the excitement, and says, "Hooray." again.
vbnz becomes an ant
lpsmith says, "ahem."
Eluchil smiles innocently.
(From Kwi) Ant cheers.
(From DorianX) Kent thinks Rob's shouting "You, go!" over and over, and leaves, crying."
lpsmith exclaims, "So, without further ado, here to announce the nominees and winner of the Best Use of Medium Award: Rob Wheeler!"
Paul exclaims, "Yay Rob!"
DavidW claps!
Eluchil applauds heartily.
Rob runs up on stage, not noticing the elevator.
Jota exclaims, "Rob!"
Bishop exclaims, "Woo!"
maga exclaims, "medium rob!"
BrenBarn says, "whoop whoop"
zarf clap
lpsmith claps and cedes the stage.
Recchi applauds
vbnz cheers
Kwi cheers.
JoshuaH applauds.
eileen applauds and whistles
Jacqueline applauds for Rob.
Rob says, "Good evening/afternoon/morning"
baf is like "Clap. Clap." and stuff
TShatrov yays
reese claps
K-Y clapity clapity
Tommy gets back on chair and applauds
Thrax says, "the greatest engineering feat in the history of IF: the Rob wheeler"
Rob says, "As you all know, the Best Use of Medium award goes to -- well, um."
Rob says, "Certainly it's an honor to be nominated for it!"
klimas laughs!
Rob says, "(Even if you're nominated for it because people couldn't figure out where else to nominate you.)"
vbnz is clueless
</ifdhan> ifdhan has disconnected from ifMUD.
<ifdhan> ifdhan has connected to ifMUD.
Rob says, "Maybe you put a lot of work into customizing every parser message in the game, or you did something extra cool with the medium in terms of presentation, or you just wrote a really good game so people are like, 'hey, he sure used that IF medium to write this game!'"
BrenBarn says, "ha ha"
Paul says, "Hee"
Rob says, "Anyway, the five nominees this year for at least one of those shifting meanings of this award are:"
Recchi says, "heh"
Rob says, "All Things Devours, by half sick of shadows"
<Guest1> I'm not here to be entertained! Stop amusing me!
Tommy claps heartily.
rrafgon claps.
Paul exclaims, "Yay ATD!"
Rob says, "Bellclap, by Tommy Herbert"
zarf says, "yay!"
Jon claps
klimas says, "yay"
Eluchil exclaims, "Yay,Bellclap!!!"
Paul claps for the bell
Jacqueline applauds.
JoshuaH exclaims, "Woo!"
vbnz cheers
Rob says, "Future Boy!, by Kent Tessman"
zarf claps
half claps
Eluchil applauds loudy.
Tommy claps heartily again.
vbnz yeah for the future
Recchi cheers
Guest1 walks out from under the archway south of here, although you didn't notice it approaching it from the other side.
Fang exclaims, "Yay!"
Paul exclaims, "Yay FB!"
Rob says, "Return to Ditch Day, by Michael J. Roberts"
Jacqueline claps.
Thrax generally claps
Tommy claps heartily again.
Eluchil applauds heartily.
vbnz claps
Paul claps for returning to ditch day!
zarf says, "yay"
Rob says, "and The Dreamhold, by Andrew Plotkin"
rrafgon says, "yay"
BrenBarn says, "woo mjr"
maga says, "woo"
Eluchil applauds sincerely.
Rob applauds the nominees.
inky claps.
zarf says, "extra yay!"
Kwi yays.
Tommy claps very loudly.
Paul claps for holding and dreaming!
klimas says, "yay helpfulness"
half applauds
lpsmith cheers.
Eluchil claps for all the nominees.
Jacqueline applauds for everyone.
vbnz thanks Mjr for the great TADS
Rob says, "And the 2004 XYZZY for Best Use of Medium goes to..."
Fang holds his breath.
Thrax says, "the dreamhold is my favorite wrestling move"
Gunther breathes.
vbnz is nervous
Rob fumbles with an envelope.
Rob says, "The Dreamhold, by Andrew Plotkin!"
Tommy is a good sport and applauds the winner with gusto.
half cheers loudly!
zarf says, "yay!"
klimas says, "yay!"
Marvin exclaims, "Yay!"
maga exclaims, "yay!"
Jacqueline says, "HUZZAH!"
Fang cheers!
reese claps
Eluchil applauds sincerely.
inky says, "hooray"
BrenBarn says, "tarantaraaa"
rrafgon claps
Paul exclaims, "Woo dreamhold!"
Jon says, "go zarf"
Bishop applauds wildly!
Jota exclaims, "cheers!"
lpsmith exclaims, "Yay!"
JoshuaH claps.
Kwi says, "Woo! Yay, wrestling!"
K-Y says, "Yay"
vbnz cheers!
Gunther says, "woowooo"
two-star exclaims, "Yay!"
Thrax exclaims, "yay dreamhold!"
DorianX exclaims, "Huzzah!"
zarf capers
Jota cheers, even.
Recchi applauds!
Eluchil exclaims, "Congratulations, Zarf!"
inky says, "mm, capers"
<Epsilon> Epsilon has connected to ifMUD.
eileen applauds madly
Epsilon walks out from under the archway south of here, although you didn't notice him approaching it from the other side.
Rob gives Best Use Of Medium 2004 XYZZY to zarf.
Fang exclaims, "Well done zarf!"
Rob shakes zarf's hand.
zarf stands up
vbnz exclaims, "speech!"
zarf says, "I have written an acceptance speech"
zarf says, "Entitled: 'Bite me: I rule'"
vbnz cheers wildly
Rob claps
Jacqueline laughs.
(From Thrax) zarf says, "it's for Howard Sherman, though"
Fang claps, soviet style.
Tommy claps speech.
zarf says, "That's the good part, though"
inky says, "if you can parse that, you deserve best use of medium"
Gunther throws a Shyamalan doll at zarf
zarf says, "So, thank you."
zarf sits down
Eluchil applauds sincerely.
vbnz exclaims, "wow what a great speech!"
Jacqueline says, "Well done, Z. Thanks for a great game."
Nathan golf claps
Jota exclaims, "Let the biting commence!"
Thrax says (to Paul), "he's king of the muuuuuuud"
vbnz bites
Kwi claps.
lpsmith cheers and returns to the stage.
lpsmith exclaims, "Congratulations!"
Eluchil bites zarf, as per request.
Grocible walks out from under the archway south of here, although you didn't notice him approaching it from the other side.
Rob says, "NEXT"