Fans of video games probably didn’t see this coming.

The trailer for Everything just became the first video game to qualify for an Oscar nomination.

Everything is a new simulation game that allows players to explore their own universe filled with different species, structures and wonders of the world.

This flip-flopping bear is literally us flip-flopping away from adulting every day.
Of course, we’re not talking about a Best Picture nomination like the infamous La La Land and Moonlight mix up.

The game stands a chance to compete in the Animated Short Film category, one of the most competitive categories at the Academy Awards and one that is normally dominated by Disney Pixar shorts.

Nevertheless, this is still an incredible milestone for Everything and a landmark moment for gaming.

So how did Everything qualify in the first place?

The earth and everything it in.
This achievement is actually the result of the game’s trailer winning the Jury Prize for Animation at the Vienna Shorts Festival recently.

Winning an award at a festival is just one of the many ways that makes a picture eligible for nomination.

What’s so special about this Everything trailer?

It does look like an animated short film.
David O’Reilly, an Irish filmmaker based in California put together a simple gameplay footage from the video game, overlaid it with the narration by British philosopher Alan Watts and an incredible soundtrack, which created a 10-minute work of art that is almost documentary-like.

According to the official statement by the jury, the trailer “serves a highly educational purpose, including an important political statement that encourages us to let our egos dissolve and gain a new perspective on the world”.

No doubt, Everything still has a long road ahead before actually securing an Oscar statue. Its main challenge is basically the fact that a video game trailer has never been nominated let alone won an Academy Award.

There’s still plenty more time from now until the next Oscars in March 2018, so let’s hope that at least one member of the voting committee is a fan of video games.


Everything was released on the PS4 in March and PC in April.

The game’s website states that “the philosophy of Everything is both serious and funny, silly and sincere, rational and absurd. It contradicts and criticizes itself.

“It doesn’t follow any existing school or canon and isn’t advocating for any particular way of thinking. Everything’s philosophy is designed to be experienced in all of its parts, and above all to be playful, entertaining and helpful.”