New gaming talent has been recognised with the announcement of the BAFTA Young Game Designers winners 2024. Some 49 finalists competed for the Game Concept Award, which rewards the most unique and creative game ideas, and the Game Making Award for the most technically impressive coding skills.
Run by the British Academy Film Awards since 2010, the annual awards aim to support and inspire young people to create, develop and present new game ideas that could one day make it to the best games consoles. A digital awards ceremony was hosted by actor and comedian Inel Tomlinson (see below).
Each award is split into two age categories (10-14 and 15-18). The Game Concept Award (10-14) was won by Orson Hayward (14) from Dundee, for Collateral Damage, described as a "fun, fast, frantic game for anyone who loves mayhem and was inspired by Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants book series". It follows George the Caretaker as he races to clean up damage caused by superheroes battling giant robots. Players have the pleasure of seeing George sipping mocktails on a beach in Hawaii if they complete the game.
The Game Concept Award (15-18) was won by Tallulah Martinez (17) from Hastings for The Whispering Wilds, set in a world of ancient magic. Players explore an open world and discover four covens, dusk, dawn, day and night, who have been forced into hiding and learning about the world’s magical plants and their medicinal uses. Tallulah made the game for all audiences to educate about history and hopes playing The Whispering Wilds “feels like you’re playing through an art piece or painting with your environment.”
The Game Making Award (10-14) was won by Ethan Linwood (13) from Hull, for his game DnB Bullet Hell, a fast-paced, pattern-based dodging game synced to drum and bass music. The player dodges bullets that shoot out from bullet makers in a variety of ways. Ethan found the music syncing and level design process to be the two major challenges in the creation of his game and sought to learn skills to overcome these. He sees adding more playable characters with different abilities as a way to develop his game further.
The Game Making Award (15-18) was won by Dan Wragg (17) from Hawksworth. Dan’s Unplugged is an electricity-themed game in which players must solve a range of puzzles by powering electrical components. By using battery and wire, players must reach their plug socket. Dan’s game is different to anything he’s ever made before, and he chose to let the design speak for itself by avoiding text.
Partners of BAFTA Young Game Designers include: Criterion Games, Epic Games, PlayStation, Warner Bros. Games and Wizards of the Coast. The juries were chaired by Katherine Bidwell (Founder, State of Play Games), Nick Button-Brown (Founder, The Games Angels), Des Gayle (Founder, Altered Gene), and Tara Saunders (Chair of the BAFTA Games Committee).
Juror Emily Brown, 2022 BAFTA Breakthrough and Lead Designer at UsTwo Games said: “It was incredible to see the level of creativity and imagination showcased in the Bafta Young Game Designers entries. The finalists for the concept category communicated the essence of their idea and backed it up with details. They placed us in the world they wanted to create. It was a pleasure to participate in the jury for the concept category and get a chance to see such a broad range of creative ideas . I am excited about the new perspectives and ideas of the next generation of game makers.”
Winners will be featured in the Power Up experience at the Science Museum in London and at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester from today (June 28).
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