BAFTA has announced the finalists in a nation-wide game design competition for 10-18 year-olds.
The 40 young hopefuls were selected by a jury of industry experts and will attend a special awards ceremony at BAFTA’s HQ on Saturday 25 July.
The BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) competition aims to inspire the game designers and game-makers of the future by giving young people the chance to design and create their own game and develop it with industry professionals.
The initiative is now in its fifth year and presents awards in two main categories: The Game Concept Award, for written game concepts, and the Game Making Award, for entrants who submit a game they have made.
The winners (in two ages range) win a bonanza of prizes, and further development of their game with industry professionals.
Here’s the full list of the finalists, plus links to play the games in the Game Making Award category:
Game Concept Award Finalists
Game Making Award Finalists
(We wouldn’t want to influence anyone, but Brendan Cheung’s Duo Block and Isaac Moselle’s Light Farmer are both excellent examples from this year’s crop.)
BAFTA is also presenting its first YGD Hero Award, which recognises support for young games designers by an industry professional or development team. The winner of this award, perhaps obviously, is Minecraft. No one can deny its impact on a generation of young game designers, and it’s good to see the game receive some prestigious recognition.
Find out more over at www.bafta.org/ygd
