Due to a couple of special rules and circumstances that have been satisfied and some inventive, immersive gameplay, a video game has been made eligible to win an Academy Award in what appears to be the first occasion of such a possibility.
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The video game in question is Everything, a game that lets players control exactly as much as the name of the game implies. From the active to the inanimate, the microscopic to the colossal, Everything is a simulation game for the PlayStation 4 and PC that allows players to control and direct a plethora of objects and organisms found in the game’s expansive universe.
By taking control of the things found in the game’s universe, players are able to experience the game from seemingly endless points of views. The trailer shown above highlights the variety of playstyles that players can look forward to in the game as it shifts between the perspectives of many different things such as a barrel, a ladybug, and even some desert vegetation.
While the game offers many different unique and ever-changing experiences, it’s still a video game, so it may seem strange that it has qualified for the Animated Short Film Oscar. However, it’s ability to qualify comes from another feature that the game has, a self-playing screensaver type mode that lets players take a break and watch the relaxing movements unfold. This unique mode makes the game jump from object to animal as it takes control of different things and moves about, a sequence that plays out very much in the way that an animated short film would.
In order to qualify for the Animated Short Film Award, these short films are able to win certain awards to meet the requirements, and Everything did just that. The game won The Jury Prize in Animation at the Vienna Shorts Festival, and because of that, it now has the chance to move on up to the Oscars.
David OReilly, the creator of Everything, tweeted about the news and later added that while he had “a strong feeling it won’t get far,” he was grateful for the chance to have his game be eligible for the award.
