Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
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Nominees for The Games Awards 2016 have been officially announced, with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End leading the pack with eight nominations, including one for the coveted Game of the Year award.
The post Big names nominated for top honors at The Game Awards 2016 appeared first on Digital Trends.
In a couple of weeks time the annual Game Awards will be taking place in Los Angeles. One of the biggest industry events on the calendar, the awards feature the latest and greatest videogames from around the world. All the nominations have now been announced, with the Best VR Game category featuring some well known titles.
Five virtual reality (VR) videogames have been selected for the category award, these are: Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE), EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games), Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs), Rez Infinite (Enhance Games) and Thumper (Drool).
With all the VR titles currently available over several platforms, it seems the PlayStation VR is doing very well. While EVE: Valkyrie and Job Simulator do appear on other headsets the other three are purely exclusive to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) head-mounted display (HMD).
But VR and augmented reality (AR) titles aren’t just confined to one specific category. Pokémon GO from Niantic appears in Best Mobile/Handheld and Best Family Game, while Rez Infinite and Thumper reappear in Best Music/Sound Design.
“The Game Awards is all about celebrating the state of video game art,” said Geoff Keighley, The Game Awards producer/host. “In just a few short weeks we will recognize the most outstanding games of 2016 in unexpected ways, and preview the most anticipated games of 2017 and beyond with the longest, most in-depth world premieres we’ve ever attempted — including surprises and new game announcements.”
VRFocus reported on The Game Awards earlier this month, when it was revealed that VR specialist broadcaster NextVR would be live-streaming the event via its app on Samsung Gear VR.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of The Game Awards, reporting back with any further announcements.
The Game Awards 2016 officially revealed its list of nominees today, including a brand new “Best VR Game” category. However, the list has a noticeable lack of VR content, even in that category, as the only games nominated are available on PlayStation VR, failing to recognize any other platforms.
The PlayStation VR launched last month in mid-October to help kickstart mainstream adoption of this new immersive medium, but the Samsung Gear VR put mobile virtual reality into the hands of consumers almost a full year prior and earlier this year both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive released, although they require beefy PCs to run experiences.
But you probably already know that though, as did I of course, which is why I had such a puzzled look on my face while reading through my inbox this morning. I received an email about nominees for The Game Awards 2016 — the annual awards show for the video game industry — and was treated to the first-ever “Best VR Game” category with an initial feeling of validation and excitement. That was soon replaced with confusion and disbelief when I noticed the omissions.
The Game Awards has had a long and troublesome road over the years to find its identity. The name has changed several times, as well as the network that features it, and the format has never really found its stride. Big games have been announced on the show, including the likes of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim several years ago and now this year will feature the world premiere of official gameplay footage from Bioware’s anticipated Mass Effect: Andromeda. But despite the big reveals, it’s failed to garner the respect and prestige that award shows in other industries enjoy.
This year was aiming to remedy that by continuing the improved show from last year and it was even going to be available for streaming in VR for the first time, with a new Next VR partnership.
Here is the list of games nominated for “Best VR Game” at The Game Awards 2016:
To be clear, I do not mean to undermine the quality of the games and developers nominated here. Each of them are great in their own ways, and Job Simulator, as well as EVE: Valkrie, will both be available on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift either already or by end of year. But it’s a list that simply doesn’t capture the full ecosystem, which is the real shame.
In a press release sent to UploadVR, Geoff Keighley, producer and host of the awards show, had the following to say:
“The Game Awards is all about celebrating the state of video game art. In just a few short weeks we will recognize the most outstanding games of 2016 in unexpected ways, and preview the most anticipated games of 2017 and beyond with the longest, most in-depth world premieres we’ve ever attempted — including surprises and new game announcements.”
I have no doubt that the list was curated with the best of intentions, but it fails to adequately capture the VR industry, or the year of 2016, as a whole. In doing so, it fails to celebrate the true “state of video game art.”
We already have a more robust and dedicated awards show for VR — The Proto Awards did a great job this year — but The Game Awards was a chance to debut on an even larger stage.
Despite the year that VR had, The Game Awards 2016 appears to only be interested in recognizing the industry’s past month, rather than the entirety of 2016. It’s a poor representation of what’s available, undercuts the progress we’ve made as an industry, and fails to recognize the hard work and creativity of developers that chose to release their games only on the Rift, Vive, Gear, or any other platform that isn’t supported by a home video game console.
The Game Awards 2016 will be available for viewing live on December 1st, 2016, through the official website, Facebook, PlayStation Network, Twitch, YouTube, and essentially every other device and screen under the sun, including VR devices with Next VR.
Tagged with: Geoff Keighley, nominations, PlayStation VR, The Game Awards
Taking place this December is one of the most prestigious events in the videogame calendar, The Game Awards 2016. Celebrating everything to do with the industry, the event is set to become the most widely distributed with organiser Geoff Keighley entering into several partnerships, one being with virtual reality (VR) company NextVR.
NextVR is synonymous with live-streaming sports and other events, so the company will be using its expertise to bring the awards to VR headsets. As its done previously, NextVR will have several cameras set up at the location, situated in prime locations including the front row for users to get the best viewpoint of the proceedings. There will also be an on-stage robotic camera, built especially for the show, that’ll move around during the broadcast to continually provide new perspectives of the awards and musical performances.
The awards will also be streamed live via Twitter, Facebook Live and Tencent’s integrated internet platforms in China, including QQ.com for the first time. Chinese viewers will get the option to use WeChat, QQ.com, and Tencent News App to vote on a special “Fans Choice Award,” based on nominees selected by Tencent’s gaming editors.
“Video games have the power to unite communities from all over the world, and this year we will share the power of gaming with more people than ever before,” said Geoff Keighley, creator/producer of The Game Awards. “For 2016 we will expand our all-digital, no-friction path to global distribution through partnerships that include the first live awards show broadcast on Twitter, an initiative with Tencent to bring The Game Awards live to China, and our innovative, first of-its-kind live VR broadcast with Next VR.”
As in 2015 The Game Awards will return to web, mobile and console platforms, airing on PlayStation Network, Steam, Twitch, Xbox Live and YouTube, with highlights featured in a Snapchat Live Story.
PlayStation Network, Steam, and Xbox Live will also host The Game Awards Sale, offering fans the ability to purchase select nominated games at a discount.
For all the latest VR news on The Game Awards, keep reading VRFocus.