Gaming Awards Predictions

AwardsDaily is starting a new section of the website for Gaming Design. The reason is that the gaming industry has been growing in ways we could not have predicted. So much so that they even have WGA nominations now. With that in mind, I asked my daughter Emma who is majoring in Game Design at NYU to give me her predictions. So herewith, the littlest Oscarwatcher’s first ever predictions.

Nominees snagged from Polygon:

GAME OF THE YEAR
For a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
Inside (Playdead)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment) <– alternate
Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment) <– predicted winner

BEST GAME DIRECTION
Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision, game direction and design.

Blizzard Entertainment (for Overwatch) <– alternate
EA DICE (for Battlefield 1)
id Software (for Doom)
Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End) <– predicted winner
Respawn Entertainment (for Titanfall 2)

BEST NARRATIVE
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

Firewatch (Campo Santo) <– predicted winner
Inside (Playdead)
Mafia 3 (Hangar 13/2K Games)
Oxenfree (Night School Studio) <– alternate
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST ART DIRECTION
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

Abzu (Giant Squid/505 Games) <– predicted winner
Firewatch (Campo Santo)
Inside (Playdead) <– alt.
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.

Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks) <– predicted winner
Inside (Playdead) <– alt.
Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
Thumper (Drool)

BEST PERFORMANCE
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia 3
Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch
Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End <– alt.
Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End <– predicted winner
Rich Sommer as Henry, Firewatch
Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

GAMES FOR IMPACT
Honoring exemplary games that take on real-world issues and advocate for social change.

1979 Revolution: Black Friday (Ink Stories) <– alt.
Block’hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)
Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)
Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)
That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games) <– predicted winner

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
For outstanding achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

Firewatch (Campo Santo)
Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
Inside (Playdead) <– predicted winner
Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games) <– alt.
The Witness (Thekla Inc.)

BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD
For the best game playable on mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.

Clash Royale (Supercell)
Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
Pokémon Go (Niantic Labs) <– predicted winner
Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

BEST VR GAME
For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Eve: Valkyrie (CCP Games) <– predicted winner
Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
Thumper (Drool)

BEST ACTION GAME
For the best game experience focused around first or third person combat.

Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks) <—predicted winner
Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment) <—alt.
Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
For the best game experience that combines combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks) <– predicted winner
Hitman (IO Interactive/Square Enix)
Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment) <– alt.

BEST RPG
The best game designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.

Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment) <– predicted winner
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix)<– alt.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (CD Projekt Red/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard Entertainment)
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)

BEST FIGHTING GAME
For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)
The King of Fighters 14 (SNK/Atlus USA)
Pokkén Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokémon Co. International) <– predicted winner
Street Fighter 5 (Capcom)

BEST STRATEGY GAME
Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.

Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 (Firaxis Games/2K Games) <– predicted winner
Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)<– alt.
The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
Total War: Warhammer (The Creative Assembly/Sega)
XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K Games)

BEST FAMILY GAME
Best game for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres.

Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Pokémon Go (Niantic Labs) <– predicted winner
Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Skylanders Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)

For the rest of the nominees, head on over to Polygon.