Full Sail Stories

The Spike Video Game Awards were founded in 2003, and have become an annual institution for the industry, offering a public venue for recognizing outstanding achievements in console and computer games. Looking at the nominations for the 2011 event, we’re excited to see that more than three-dozen Full Sail graduates worked on projects chosen in 17 of the 25 categories.

The year’s most recognized title is Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, with nods in seven categories, including Game of the Year and Best Graphics. Seven Computer Animation grads contributed to the game’s visuals, including Charles “Chip” Carle, Carson Del Greco, Justin Falgout, Rodrigo Gonzalez, Kevin Mullin, David Pumpa, and Israel Woolfolk.

Going up against Uncharted for Game of the Year is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the latest chapter in Bethesda’s long-running first person role-playing game. The game was also nominated for Best RPG, and featured Game Development grad Jared Hamby as a quality assurance tester and Computer Animation grad Milton “Trey” Sharp as world artist.

Milton and four other grads also worked on the latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which received nominations for Best Shooter and Best Multiplayer. The team includes Dustin Davis, Shiva Deonarine, Anthony Schmill, and Chance Glasco. Chance has been working as an animator on the series since 2006’s Call of Duty 2.

A team of seven grads also contributed to Rage, another nominee for Best Shooter and Best Graphics. The gorgeous visuals and smooth gameplay are a testament to the hard work of Jeffrey Farrand, Christopher Hays, Jon Lietz, Juno Madden, Dan Martinez, Steven Serafin, and Grant Shonkwiler.

The full list of nominees for the 2011 Video Game Awards is a reminder of what a big year it was for gaming, and we’re proud to see so many graduates contribute to acclaimed projects. Additional nominees featuring the work of our alumni include:

Captain America: Super Soldier (Best Adapted Game) – Matthew Campbell, Carlo Cherisier, Shay Goldenberg, Robert Nelson

Disney’s Epic Mickey (Best Wii Game) – Timothy Reed

Dragon Age II (Best RPG) – Heather Cerlan

Forza Motorsport 4 (Best Xbox 360 Game, Best Driving Game) – Nicholas McElmury

inFAMOUS 2 (Best PS3 Game) – Justin Falgout, Rodrigo Gonzalez, Peter Jackson, David Pumpa, Israel Woolfolk, and David Yingling

Killzone 3 (Best Playstation 3 Game) – Justin Falgout, Rodrigo Gonzalez, Kevin Mullin, Joseph Thomas, and Israel Woolfolk

L.A. Noire (Best Graphics) – Bryan Rodriguez

Mortal Kombat (Best Fighting Game) – Jonathan Devin

Need for Speed: The Run (Best Driving Game) – Charles Searight

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters (Best Individual Sports Game) – Christian Brandt, Trevor Lindsey, Joseph Morelli

WWE All Stars (Best Fighting Game) – David Caamano, John Langkusch

* You can catch the Spike Video Game Awards live on Saturday, December 10, 2011, at 8 p.m. EST.