‘Uncharted,’ ‘Firewatch’ dominate The Game Awards nominations
The Game Awards show has made it a point to recognize more than just the usual blockbuster hits, and it looks like that will remain true when the 2016 ceremony takes place on December 1st. Geoff Keighley’s outfit has unveiled its nominees for this year, and there’s a healthy mix of triple-A titles and indies. It won’t shock you to hear that big names like Battlefield 1, Doom, Overwatch, Titanfall 2 and Uncharted 4 are up for multiple awards, of course. However, smaller projects like Inside (up for game of the year), Hyper Light Drifter and Firewatch make up a large chunk of the selections.
Both Firewatch and Uncharted are particularly notable given how thoroughly they dominate the acting, art and storytelling nominations, in some cases picking up multiple nods in the same category. It’s not completely surprising. Both games not only have distinctive visual languages, but go out of their way to create nuanced characters that have lives beyond their immediate adventures.
The 2016 picks are also noteworthy for the sheer range of categories. There are nominees for the best VR game, eSports player, eSports title, fan-made content and trending gamer (think YouTubers like Jacksepticeye or Danny O’Dwyer). The show this year is as much a reflection of gaming’s zeitgeist as it is pure talent — we’re just wondering whether or not there will be any shocking upsets among the winners.
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