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Welcome Messages from Our Virtual Ceremony’s Host and Games Chair
Game Concept Award 10-14 Years Finalists
Game Concept Award 15-18 Years Finalists
Game Making Award 10-14 Years Finalists
Game Making Award 15-18 Years Finalists
The Young Game Designer Levelled Up
Meet the Partners Thanks to All Contributors
Every year BAFTA YGD blows me away with the sheer level of the skill and imagination of all of its applicants. Even as a life-long gamer I’ve never even considered making a game myself, as it always seemed so complicated and intimidating a prospect. The YGD cohort every year has no such lack of confidence, jumping in head-first, challenging themselves to turn their great ideas into reality.
There is no competition quite like YGD. Every year it shows young people that game making is well within their grasp, inspiring a whole new generation to consider games as a fun way of self-expression, self-exploration and to be bold enough to create something to put out into the world that others can enjoy.
We all know that more young and diverse gaming talent means more voices, more
“What a huge honour it is to be asked to host this year’s BAFTA Young Game Designers competition. It is such a privilege to be a part of a programme so successful in inspiring young people to get into games. Buckle up – as you’re about to meet the talented minds of our future next generation of games makers.”
stories and more unique games will be created as a result. Growing games into an even more wondrous and wonderful medium that the whole world can appreciate. Plus it helps future-proof this cutting edge entertainment in a positive, inclusive way for many years to come. Something that as a gamer, really excites me to know.
Ok, ok, we all know YGD is brilliant, but a quick message to all of the YGD class of 2026, from entrants to the finalists… I salute you all for daring to try, for choosing to express your unique voices and putting them out into the world, you are a truly dazzling sight to behold. Keep shining your light into the world as we want to see what you can do! And I can’t wait to play whatever brilliant game you come up with next.
Tara Saunders followed by a message from our chair of games,
“Games have never been more powerful, connected or creative. Yet for young people with big ideas, standing out can feel harder than ever. That’s why BAFTA Young Game Designers is so special, it spotlights and rewards young minds that are full of fresh ideas, and fuelled by passion.”
This competition gives young people genuine industry recognition and can help young creators stand out when applying for courses, internships and early-career opportunities. It connects 10-18 year old game developers directly with industry professionals, offers mentorship from top-tier studios, and provides a platform that looks incredible on a CV before they’ve even finished school. It takes young talent seriously.
Every year, thousands of young people imagine worlds, solve problems and tell stories through games. The concepts coming out of YGD are often deeper and more emotionally resonant than AAA releases. Young designers use games to process complex themes—mental health,
climate change, grief, or just pure, chaotic joy. It reminds the rest of the industry why we make games in the first place: pure storytelling and mechanics driven by passion.
Once again, the work being celebrated this year showcases the incredible imagination, originality and determination of this year’s finalists. Their projects remind us that great game design starts with curiosity, passion and a willingness to experiment. They also demonstrate the exciting future of an industry that is constantly evolving.
On behalf of and representing the BAFTA Games Committee, I can’t wait to see where the creativity takes all our finalists and winners next.
For the most creative and original concept for a new game
Ben Noyce (13)
A fast-paced roller coaster game where you play as an animal flying through inversions and soaring over targets, shooting down balloons with your bow and arrow. Set in a world where animals have decided they should be able to ride roller coasters too, play as Terence Mouse, Oscar Bear or Enzo Elephant on an assortment of adrenaline filled rides. While flying down the track you must shoot as many balloons as you can before pulling into the station. As levels progress, humans will appear, attempting to sabotage the animals’ quest for adrenaline. Avoid distractions and keep shooting in order to beat the humans in the race for the best coasters!
Rikka Mellersh
(14)
A crew of astronauts travel to a strange and distant planet to conduct research. They find a planet filled with giant carnivorous plants, malevolent alien critters and tree-like fungi that release poisonous spore clouds. When the planet’s 4 moons align, they exert a powerful force on the astronauts. One of which, Alice, becomes disoriented and separated from the group. Your job is to rescue Alice before supplies of your green nutrient gel run out. On your journey you must find weapons to kill the carnivorous plants and defeat the alien creatures that stalk you. You get an extra boost of energy by finding rare alien fruits along the way. You must locate Alice through her weak and glitchy signal. To do this you need the help of humanoid aliens who demand to be paid with your precious green gel.
Ben Batstone (13)
An underwater exploration game with diverse bosses in their respective biomes and different mechanics such as a hunger, hydration and oxygen bar – all of which drain over time, eventually killing you if any of the bars run out. Dive is set during the Mesozoic era, spawning the player on a prehistoric island with a Spinosaurus stalking from the shadows. The player must explore the island whilst being hunted to find a diving suit, harpoon and glass bottles of water. Fleeing the Spinosaurus, you take refuge in the vast ocean! The ocean has certain biomes: Island Zone, Twilight Zone, Midnight Zone, Entangled in the Claws of the Beast, The Eye of the Storm, and Poseidon’s Wrath, with a special boss living in each zone. Use the upgrade templates dropped by bosses to upgrade your harpoon and explore the ocean further!
Alexei Trafford-Horan (13)
Head in the Stars is set in an alternate world that can only be accessed through powerful items and portals. There is a wide array of characters including beings that created the world and fuel its story. Various enemies and bosses prevent the player from making it through certain parts of the game, with simple NPC characters making stories of their own. The player traverses this land as an explorer in a quest to discover what happened in the world – and the sinister plot unfolding within it. A star demon called Interstroyer hoped to make a world to rule over, and created ten celestials. Rather than letting Interstroyer rule this world, they teamed together to seal him away in an ancient prison – but conflict brewed between them... The player discovers this world through an ancient artefact, helps reunite the celestials and defeat Interstroyer.
A 2.5D anatomical puzzle-platformer where you play as a heretic inventor who must prove to her gaslit steampunk civilization that they live inside a fossilized god’s corpse. The game is set inside the fossilized corpse of an ancient deity named Ossari, where a steampunk civilization called the Viscerians has built their society – completely unaware they live inside a calcified body. You play as Oculus Borelinne, a 13-year-old outcast inventor with a clockwork prosthetic eye that ticks faster as the “god” wakes up. Oculus is opposed by the six faction leaders who maintain the lie, aided by underground truth-seekers, and haunted by the indifferent biology of Ossari itself. The player must navigate 2.5D anatomical environments using biomechanical gadgets, solve puzzles based on real human biology and gather irrefutable evidence to convince factions that their world is literally a corpse – before its immune system and digestive processes destroy them all.
Grace Mccullagh Stacey (10)
A quirky 2D comedy adventure game that is full of surprises: Nobody knows you in your village, so you set out on a daring quest to acquire pieces of a broken ‘broken nose’ statue thats pieces have been scattered across Noseland. You play as Nosey - a nose without a body but with two eyes and a mouth. You do not have any legs or arms but are able to move (by breathing out and hovering above the ground) and pick up objects. In your journeys, you might come across a giant head named Barbara and her nose, Sir Nosington, who can upgrade your senses. Nose-nothing and Nose-it-all can give you advice and directions to secrets you have missed in a level, but only if you give them Noins (Nose Coins). Each level and area has a nosebased pun and will have a nose-based feature unique to that level.
Nissi Mazvidza (13)
Waking up with no memories and no grasp of your surroundings, you find a small name tag attached to your shawl identifying you as Pax. You uncover that your home was destroyed during the events of a great cataclysm that changed the world, and your soul drifted into a life-sized puppet. Your puppet body has the ability to see the ‘thoughts of old’, and you must use this ability to uncover the secrets of this broken world by viewing memories. Set in a deciduous forest in Europe, Pax journeys alongside a ferret, vengeance-seeking husks, the Sockeye Monoceros – meaning Red Single-Horned Giant Fish – and a mysterious character known as The Toy Maker. This scenic adventure game will remind you of the beauty of the past.
Paper Detective is a crime-solving puzzle game set in a world of anthropomorphised animals in the town of Furville. The mechanics are inspired by the popular gimmick where a detective looks through two cutout eye holes in a newspaper to go undercover and stake out locations. During gameplay, the detective must sit on a bench holding a copy of the local newspaper at arm’s length, reading it to determine clues from local stories. Armed with some stories, they then pull the newspaper up close to look through their eye holes and watch the scene. The player can interact by clicking on items to find out more or clicking on characters to speak to them. As the player collects clues, they can piece them together in their casebook to eventually solve the mystery.
Jack Sumner (13)
A tough but fair action-adventure platformer with long levels of increasing difficulty. This game is two different genres: Metroidvania and Action. You play as Pixel-Man, who is made from pixels and has blocky, slow graphics and movements. Though Pixel-Man’s animation is pixelated, everything else is realistic. The gameplay will include tools like swords, axes, spears, bows and arrows, bare fists and a spatula. While exploring the vast levels you will come across many enemies. The main game includes eight worlds; each one with five levels, and the post-game has five worlds; each one with six levels. The fifth level in each world is a boss level. After reaching the final boss, defeating them transforms Pixel-Man into a human, no longer made from pixels.
Tara Hosalli (14), Charlotte Hsu (14) and Hafsa Kibria (13)
Alice in Wonderland gone wrong sums up the concept of this game: A girl falls asleep while playing her favourite game and awakens as the main character, Zara. To escape, she must advance through the world by completing quests for a variety of characters. As Zara advances, the game grows darker and more challenging, with deadlier weapons and quests. The setting shifts from a simple wood to a wild forest teeming with menacing entities, presenting increasingly difficult and taxing quests. As the game unfolds, trust erodes. The innocent elements she once encountered transform into more sinister versions. Zara is betrayed by a trusted ally, leading to a climactic boss fight where Zara must defeat her former ally to move forward. After a fierce battle, Zara can finally obtain the final key needed to escape.
aasuri
Tanisi Rawat (15)
Working in a cafe hill station on the Himalayas, you are forced to serve angels upon their descension during the end of the world. Aasuri is inspired by the ‘aanchri’ (fairies) from Kumauni/Garhwali folklore and is a psychological horror mixed with the typical cooking game. With humanity long dead from the sun expanding too rapidly, ‘aanchri’/’’aasuri’ (or fairies) have come down to judge the wretched. The player runs a cafe trying to make ends meet and serves these entities, unaware of the events that transpired that led the world to become as is. Throughout the game, the player will interact with the aasuri, serving them food and uncovering the truth of reality.
Viktoria Bokotej (17)
Beyond Woe is set on a dangerous fantastical mountain range inspired by the Everest and K2. The main characters are Aziel and Maro, two skilled fighters who want to prove their strength to get a strong mentor. The player is given multiple choice options that lead to different story outcomes, as well as different routes (or fails) to the tops of the summits. On the journey, enemies appear and player must strategise and battle, levelling up as you ascend the mountain. The story would follow a series of games (this one being one of them) of the fighters going on different missions and adventures while improving their fighting technique and skill. Their friendship will grow over the series - bickering lots in the beginning and growing closer together by the end.
Bread on the Run is a game where the player plays as a slice of bread trying to escape the kitchen by completing mini games, from avoiding falling into sinks or jumping over pots. Chasing the bread is a large, ominous hand that catches up to the player if they don’t run fast enough. There are bosses scattered across the kitchen, and battles with them happen at random. There is no time limit. There are also unlockable skin options for the bread! These skins are heavily inspired by all the types of things you can have on bread, like jam or eggs. The most important thing to know is: DON’T STOP RUNNING!
Create or Die is a puzzle action game, where players respawn themselves and play while their previous attempts play out in real time, meaning they are able to interact together, and use their previous actions to their advantage to help complete the level, through the use of coordination and multiple timelines. You play as a mechatronics engineer living in a futuristic heavily meritocratic world were you only get to survive if you contribute to society. Deemed not productive enough, you are forced to push out a half-baked product that regenerates yourself, so that you can you multitask better. When you go to The Overseer, they stress test your project with you as the test dummy. If you pass the test you have the right to live for the foreseeable future, but if not...
Faiza Saeed (18)
A word-based murder mystery and social deduction game set in the late 1940s where you and 5 other players are invited onto a cruise by an anonymous host against their will. Dead Man’s Language takes place over a few days where all players complete a series of word-based mini games, all except for 1 amongst you, the killer. The killer strikes at midnight, and if successful, all players will be alerted and must investigate the death. All players must take part in the investigation to discover the weapon, location and murderer, but they can only speak using words and letters that they collected during the day. Survivors can play collaborative hangman where they can use their own letters, but killers can sabotage this by throwing in their own letters. Once the investigation is done, players must deduce who the killer is only using the words they have.
Rowan Clarke (17)
Sprouts and Seedlings is a mobile game, where you play as a collector and expert on plants and horticulture, as well as a cultivator and gardener. It’s a point and click/node based 2D game that involves the player using logic and deduction to draw conclusions about plants, their growth requirements and how to effectively grow them. The game has two primary locations, the town/florist shop and the garden or greenhouses. As the resident plant expert, the player is asked by NPCs to identify their plants in return for a cutting/seed from that plant. The player must identify plants at the florist shop, and can have up to 5 plants currently in progress – though this number increases with game progress.
Erin Goddard
(17)
TailBreak is a collaborative party game for up to 5 players where you play as a group of urban animals normally classified as ‘vermin’ teaming up to commit a ‘TailBreak’. The game is set in Tale City and the aim is to work together to solve puzzles to break your friends out of West Tale Pest Control. Each one of five characters has their own unique mechanics. For example, the cockroach, Maximillian Scumbucket, can carry more items than other characters in his coat, working as the group’s inventory, but he can’t go through coffee grounds because of his distaste for strong smells. John Stilton, the rat, is very social and can ask other rodents for hints and tips, but is colourblind and needs help solving colour-based puzzles. Build up a unique team with your fellow players to perform the perfect TailBreak!
Robin Wells (14)
Code Breaker is a retro 8-bit inspired shoot’em up game where you must customise your anti-virus to slay waves of computer viruses, saving your computer from corruption. The game begins when an evil virus called Omega corrupts your files - in retaliation, your computer releases an anti-virus that you will control throughout the game. There is a selection menu where you can enhance your anti-virus, but you must choose your upgrade wisely with only five points to spend. Inside the game, viruses attack from above and the player must dodge and weave through the barrage of bullets. Once beaten, each level will be harder than the last. There are infinite levels and the aim is to continue clearing them and building your score until you are finally overwhelmed!
Marcus Man (14)
CON-FIEND is set in a dungeon, where the player character, the GREEN KNIGHT has been captured by the evil BLUE KNIGHTS. The player must traverse through the dungeon, fulfilling all the objectives and killing those in their path. Though the player has a sword, the enemy combatants can fight back! To assist the player in battle, signs and potions are scattered among the dungeon, which can be used to power up. Though choosing which potions to carry isn’t so simple. On top of limited inventory space, items cannot be dropped, and each room closes after the player, with non-selected items being locked away forever. Is it better to take an item and use up one of the three inventory slots, or is it better to risk it and wait for the next potion?
Chroma’s Wish is a vibrant fantasy pixel-art side-scroller where players choose from three heroes, each with distinct abilities and playstyles. The story unfolds in a colourful fantasy world where reality itself has begun to fracture. The God of Shadow, Solstitium, has stolen the legendary Quill of Creation, a powerful relic capable of rewriting existence. With the fate of the world hanging by a thread, three heroes - Alya, RAM, and Vortex - rise to challenge the growing darkness. To save their world, players must overcome the chaos, defeat the God of Shadow, reclaim the Quill of Creation, and restore balance before reality collapses forever.
A fast-paced 2D vertical platformer where you guide a character climbing upward as it automatically jumps in time with your favourite songs using real-time beat detection, while crushing walls surge from below, transforming every track into a high-pressure rhythmic escape challenge. The player controls the horizontal movement of the character as it automatically jumps on every detected beat of the song. Using real time beat detection, the game turns your favourite tracks into playable levels. The player must move left and right to land safely on platforms above, avoid gaps, and react quickly as the speed and intensity change with the music. Timing and positioning are key, as missing a platform means being caught by the crushers below.
A brave camper goes on exciting adventures across the different element lands, including the desert, forest, and tundra. When the camper discovers that the element totems have been scattered across the land, he must overcome clever challenges given by animal guardians in order to obtain the lost totems and save the elements. The player must talk to the animals, solve puzzles, and complete level-themed quests to obtain the ancient element totems. Each level is varied, so the player must use different skills to complete them. The camper’s storyline is integral to Element Quest, as they do so much more than just walking around - they learn about the world and prove their worth to the animal guardians. This is an adventure puzzle game with that has both a meaningful feeling, and is exciting and fun to explore.
Lexi
Clifton-Davies (14) and Gali Brown (14)
Twenty minutes until confinement is guaranteed, but with teachers lurking around every corner and hiding spots scarce, who knows what may happen? Set in a school corridor and following a slacking student, the player must complete trivia questions and puzzles, unlocking new areas and challenges in order to escape the school in just 20 minutes! Incorrect answers decrease your time, meaning you must use your time strategically with only 3 chances to get caught. You can hide in lockers to avoid teachers, using puzzles to unlock extra hiding places, but be warned - puzzles are completely random, so memorizing a path is close to impossible.
You are the last lightkeeper of a dying lighthouse, venturing into the deadly darkness past shadow monsters to collect shards, manage a fading flame, and return safely to upgrade your beacon as each level grows more dangerous. The lighthouse is the last safe place in a world consumed by shadow. Beyond its protective beam, the world is being consumed by darkness and overrun by monsters, and you are fighting to restore and strengthen the last beacon of hope. The plot unfolds through escalating difficulty, symbolizing the growing struggles between light and shadow. This game is a combination of skill and strategy, requiring fast fingers to navigate through the monsters, maximizing the shards collected whilst minimizing their run into shadows.
Ismael Ali (14)
Starlight Zero is a sci-fi platformer following the tale of a young girl seeking hope as she searches for an escape pod beneath a haunted crashed ship. Players must traverse through two huge, multi-level areas. The first is a burning city where flames rage and idle survivors stand frozen in place, waiting amid the smoke and ruins. The second spot sits inside a rundown military spaceship with ex-soldiers roaming the dim halls as they flee a fierce robot invasion that chases them without mercy. Nova, a 12-year-old girl trapped in this quest stars as the hero. Her only quest is to hunt down glowing blue portals which promise a path to an abandoned escape pod.
Thiago van Vlerken Rene (14)
Play as a banished Valkyrie exploring Midgard, battling trolls and ravens to recover a stolen amulet. Face Ratatoskr and his allies in an epic final battle, where threats come from every direction as the dragon Nidhogg devours the floor beneath your feet. Yggdrasil is a 2D platformer metroidvania in which you play a Valkyrie tasked with ferrying the souls of fallen warriors to Valhalla. After delivering a champion the gods deem unworthy, you are banished and he is given a trial to prove his worth. He secretly confesses to you that he was only displaying extraordinary fighting abilities using a magical amulet, now stolen by the beast Ratatoskr. To save yourself, you must fight Ratatoskr to retrieve the amulet and smuggle it back before the trial.
Aleksander Matsikas (14) and teammate
Weapon Warrior is a bullet hell with ranged and melee weapons. Players fight off enemies in 30 second waves, and will receive money when they defeat enemies. Players can then use the rewards to buy upgrades and build up their loadout. Every 5 waves there is a unique boss to defeat. If successful the player will be rewarded, and will unlock a new type of enemy until wave 20 where they face the last and final wave with a chaotic boss. After completion of all 20 waves, there is an endless play mode, allowing the player to enjoy Weapon Warrior for as long as they like!
Daniel Tachauer (15)
Travel around London’s great landmarks catering to the whims of a group of characters with a limited amount of time and money. Each level is centred around a character who gives a rough idea of what their interests are. Your goal is to take them on a day out around London using the vast transport network, deciding which locations to visit based on their interests and the location descriptions. For example, in one level you play as an old lady hoping to visit lots of museums and art galleries. With some characters not able to walk for very long, and others not wanting to use the tube, you must navigate a route that works for everyone’s preferences!
Yuri Rybakov (15)
A meditative, story-rich adventure set in the misty Scottish Highlands. You play as a small sheep who stumbles across a medieval carnival in the village of “Falemor”. Met by a grumpy gatekeeper, the player is told that entry is not free and must be earned. Helping the locals prepare for the feast, the player gradually uncovers what is quietly lurking within the shadows of the carnival. As you earn your way through the village, the calm begins to feel tamed. Enormous, monstrous yaks wander the places they don’t belong, their intentions unknown, terrifying the sheep. They whisper of inevitable change and troubled times they are about to face. Will the carnival take place?
Dexter Byrne (18)
A fast-paced game of word mastery that asks players to type as many words as possible - but they must be linked by two letters within each word. The player is given a two-letter combo (i.e AD) and must come up with a word containing those letters (i.e BADGER). They will then be given a new combo from the word just written and must continue the streak as long as possible before a timer runs out. Writing longer words with more unique letters and doing so quickly earns more points. Other than bragging rights, better high scores unlock extra content in the form of themes and game modes.
Charlie Swann (15)
A high speed action-racing game about hovercrafts, using drifting and boost mechanics to chase victory. Compete against other non playable racers controlled by bots to win races and purchase upgrades, developing your hovercraft as you improve. With five ships and three different maps to race on, there is a variety of challenges and outcomes that will test the player’s skill as a racer. To further develop their abilities and test upgrades, there is a functional timer that allows the player to race against their own times on each map. Drift past corners, dodge enemies and obstacles and become the best racer!
Alex Huynh Anh Le-Hoang (18), Josh Robinson (17) and Rafe Lepherd (17)
In Your Head is a Bullet-Hell style boss-fighter where you figuratively and literally battle depression with coping mechanisms and strengthen your mental health through bonds in the real world. The player character is given the overwhelming task of breaking the cycle of their depression, represented in a brutal boss battle that appears in their dreams each night. To fight back, objects known as coping mechanisms are scattered around the level. By picking them up and throwing them at the boss, damage can be dealt, which in turn boosts the Character’s Will. This manifests as a currency that can be spent on interactions in the real world. By playing games with your friend, writing your thoughts into your Journal, and even opening up with your Mother, the player slowly but surely makes progress, eventually breaking the cycle of depression.
Kompis seems like a happy little green guy, a bit mixed up with his upside-down smile, but it’s not until he’s bored one day and jumps down a well near his house that he meets Evil Thought. This red demon is a dark inner voice that stays with Kompis and tries to influence his journey through the well. Luckily, these wells are also home to the ancient Fontis, calm water spirits who impart wisdom to keep him going through the well. There are five areas for Kompis to navigate, each providing Kompis with lessons that will aid his journey. Throughout, Evil Thought makes Kompis doubt his decisions and whether he can trust the increasingly flaky Neighbour Friend, but Kompis battles on to beat the escalating threats and make it through the final Caves level. Will Kompis learn to make the right choices and get home?
Lattice is a strategy Grid clearer roguelike inspired by Minesweeper and Balatro. In lattice, the Goal is to clear 7 rounds of minesweeper like gameplay, where the player must clear a grid of tiles, revealing them by clicking on the safe tiles and using the numbers to determine if a tile is a bomb or not - flagging accordingly. Each round will give the player a different challenge to overcome, whether that be new tile types, new bomb types, or other gameplay elements. To progress, the player will be given access to a shop in between rounds. Here, they can obtain upgrades and flags, ranging from removing bombs from the grid to helping the player survive longer.
Maya is the story of a sweatshop worker in India, following the life which lead to her current situation of poverty. Its mechanics imitate real life working conditions, giving the players a glimpse of Maya’s reality. The game follows Maya as she goes to work and takes care of her daughter, intending to urge audiences to think about the position of the people working in these conditions, and what may have brought them there. The art style is partly modelled after Mughal era frescos and the gameplay includes three minigames. A writing minigame where players must trace Punjabi characters, a cooking minigame, and a clothes making game where the player must perform various tasks to create a t-shirt, hearkening back to flash era games. During the minigame the player must stretch their hand wide across the keyboard to simulate the use of a sewing machine, placing the player in Maya’s position even further.
Matthew Scott
(15)
An ultra fast-paced sci-fi melee action platformer with a heavy emphasis on momentum, timing and speedrunning. The game is set in a futuristic city where robots work to keep it running. An untested piece of code with a fatal error has caused all robots to malfunction, attacking anything that moves and destroying everything around them. The player character is the robot unaffected by this, due to their outdated and unsupported operating system. The main objective is to shut down the faulty robots by accessing the emergency reset button deep inside a factory. The player has a vast arsenal of movement options and the game is designed around building and maintaining momentum to achieve faster times.
Ethan Dale (18) and Sofia Bautista-Sepulveda (17)
A fun dungeon crawler with a unique combination of drawing and fighting as you take down foes and repurpose their own pixels against them. The player must rescue the queen from her castle, which has been overrun by evil pixelated enemies. In a clash of art styles, you must fight your way through each room, defeating your enemies by breaking off their pixels. These pixels can be collected and used to repair and personalise your own weapon after each battle in a drawing minigame. Different pixels will create new and unique effects for the weapon, so choose carefully when collecting loot!
Alfie James (17) and Freddie Newman (17)
A two player crocodile platformer, where players explore the swamp and save trapped baby crocodiles to make their way out of the swamp and defeat the evil trapping the hatchlings. Players can spin and bite off each other to get around and use ropes to pull and launch the other player. The first level ends with a three-phase boss fight and features multiple achievements that unlock hats for crocodile customization. This game is playable on Nintendo Switch and operates as a local cooperative, with two players using different parts of a keyboard when played on PC or different controllers when played on Nintendo Switch.
Alumnus Tyler Rotheram gives the lowdown on life after YGD, exploring work in the games industry and advice for the next generation of game makers
Looking at his CV, you might think Tyler Rotheram has spent decades working in the games industry. With experience at PlayStation, Sumo Digital, Surgent Studios and Double Eleven, he’s already built an impressive career. But Tyler’s journey into games started just a few years ago as a finalist in the Young Game Designers (YGD) competition.
After entering YGD in 2019 with his game concept Conundrum, the Liverpool-born designer quickly turned his passion into a profession. Since then, he has worked as a QA Tester, Level Designer and Game Designer at some of the UK’s leading game studios. One of his biggest achievements so far was working as a Technical Game Designer on Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, which won the BAFTA for Game Beyond Entertainment in 2025.
Now, six years after his YGD success, Tyler is a Game Designer at Double Eleven and one of the exciting young talents helping to shape the future of games. Recently, he sat down with Mae Yip, cofounder of creative careers app ERIC, to talk about his journey from YGD finalist to professional game developer, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and his advice for young people dreaming of a career in games.
Let’s check it out…
Tell us a bit about your career journey.
You entered the competition at 17 – did you then go to university?
How did you actually end up working for PlayStation?
I did games design in sixth form, and one day I saw an opening for PlayStation doing QA testing. I didn’t even know PlayStation was here in Liverpool. I applied and ended up getting the job. I had just turned 18 and it was full time, so I had to go to my head teacher and ask if I could do it alongside finishing my coursework. Luckily she said yes. That’s how I started in games at PlayStation. I later left to go to uni, but joined Sumo Digital doing QA part time, then moved into level design, and then into game design. Now I’m a technical designer at Double Eleven.
Were you always into games?
How were you creating games at such a young age?
Yeah, I’ve always been into games. I never used to think it was a career I could go into. I used to look at games and think, “How do you take an idea and make it into something?” From about 14, I started using RPG Maker, making little concepts. Then I took games design and programming in sixth form. The YGD opportunity came up while I was there: I saw it on Instagram and thought it looked like a fun challenge. When I recognised the BAFTA logo, I realised it was a big thing
Would you say that the PlayStation job was helped by BAFTA – having something on your CV so young?
I actually got the PlayStation job before the BAFTA competition. But BAFTA helped in that I’d gone through the games design process of presenting ideas and conveying them to people. It made me realise industry people aren’t scary, they’re just people. That helped in interviews. There was one job where BAFTA sent me to Yorkshire Games Fest, and I met someone who led me to my first proper design job. Another came from someone seeing my BAFTA nomination and reaching out. Even just the name has helped so much.
For someone at the beginning – maybe that young person –what advice do you have on where to start?
I’d say in your free time, go and do a game jam or make a small prototype. Definitely do the YGD BAFTA competition, because it’s a great way to build a portfolio and meet people. People
Tyler Rotheram
Technical Games Designer at Double Eleven, YGD Finalist in 2019, Game Concept 15-18 Years
need to know you exist and that you’re interested and willing to put the time in. It’s a very competitive industry. Be cheeky –I applied for the PlayStation job without much experience and got it. I’ve asked people directly if they know anyone hiring and got roles that way. Just talk to people, show that you’re hungry.
Would you say that being based outside London makes it harder, or is the games industry very UK-wide?
It’s very UK wide. Liverpool is quite big, we’ve got PlayStation and other studios. In the North East there’s loads as well. People don’t realise how strong the UK industry is, Grand Theft Auto was made in the UK! There’s plenty of opportunity outside London.
What’s a common misconception about the games industry, now that you’re in it?
One of the biggest is that everyone knows what they’re doing. But everyone is figuring it out as they go. There’s no one way to make a game, and you’re always learning. Another misconception is that game design is just coming up with ideas. It’s not. It’s about execution and problem solving. It’s about systems, how things feel, how they work, how they connect with UI and art.
What are some entry-level roles in games?
Quality assurance is a big one. My first job was testing PlayStation software, checking things like sleep mode, crashes and edge
cases. Then I moved into full game testing, trying to break games. There are also internships in design and programming, often during or after university. Or if you have a strong portfolio or know the right people, you can go straight into a junior role and learn on the job.
What do employers like to see in a game design portfolio? It’s about showcasing game mechanics and documentation. Use engines like Unreal, Unity or GameMaker to demonstrate your skills. Tailor it to the role: if they want Unreal, use Unreal. You can also get creative – some people make their CVs as games. But I’d recommend small projects, videos and playable builds so people can try your work.
What would be your one piece of advice to your younger self?
I wish I had done more game jams and smaller projects. It’s easy to go for big ideas, but it’s better to build small prototypes with one strong mechanic. I think I’d have a stronger portfolio and a broader understanding if I’d done that.
ERIC is a free careers platform designed to help the next generation break into creative & digital careers. The ERIC app is where young people can explore internships, apprenticeships and opportunities all in one place. The ERIC Library offers a Netflix-style library of career talks. meet-eric.com
EE is proud to have partnered with BAFTA for nearly 30 years, united by a shared passion for helping young people take their first steps into the arts, film and entertainment industries through initiatives like the EE Rising Star Award and Set The Stage. We’re delighted to support BAFTA’s Young Game Designers programme again this year, celebrating the talent, creativity and ambition of the next generation as they build exciting careers in entertainment.
Google Play is proud to support BAFTA Young Game Designers, championing the next generation of game makers. At Google Play, we believe that great games belong everywhere players are. Partnering with YGD reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting emerging developers from all backgrounds, empowering them to achieve their creative dreams and build the future of seamless, high-fidelity gaming experiences for all.
Hasbro is a leading games, IP and toy company whose mission is to create joy and community through the magic of play. With 165 years of expertise, Hasbro delivers groundbreaking play experiences – including Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Monopoly, Hasbro Games, Nerf, Transformers, Play-Doh and Peppa Pigand reaches more than 1 billion fans annually around the world, through physical and digital games, video games, toys, licensed consumer products, location-based entertainment film, TV and more.
PlayStation is delighted to continue our partnership with BAFTA’s prestigious Young Game Designers programme. The YGD Awards have long provided a platform for emerging talent, inspiring and nurturing the next generation of game creators. We are proud to support a programme that celebrates creativity, innovation and storytelling, and we look forward to seeing the imaginative ideas and unique perspectives that these talented young designers bring to the future of games.
At Warner Bros. Games, we’re proud partners of the BAFTA Young Game Designers competition. We recognise the important role this programme plays in helping young people from all backgrounds see a future for themselves in games and the wider creative industries. It gives them the opportunity to build confidence, develop their storytelling, design and coding skills, and learn from professionals already working in the industry. The creativity and talent shown by YGD entrants is truly inspiring, they represent the future of the games industry and we’re so excited to see their ideas brought to life.
Aaron Ludlow
Alex Sulman
Alexander Earle
Ashwath George
Ataberk Ates
Ava Rogerson
Ben Chalmers-Stevens
Candice Chan
Carmen Schneidereit
Cassie Simpson
Charlie Blay
Cristina Nava
Daisy Gray
Dan Pearce
Game Concept 10-14:
Chair:
Katherine Bidwell
Cameryn Tuliao
Erik Mogensen
James Johnson
Jodie Azhar
Kat Welsford
Mark Cutmore
Will Buck
Daniela Pietrosanu
Elizabeth Orji-Smith
Emre Bugday
Harun Ali
Ian Schreiber
Isabelle Taylor
Jack Rafferty
Jacob Heayes
Jamie Naden
Jasmin Habezai-Fekri
Kathryn Vinclaire
Kish Hirani
Les Ellis
Liam Cullen
Luke Coone
Luke Hardwick
Luke Rayfield
Marco Colombo
Marta Camilo
Matthew Ibbs
Michael Geary
Michael How
Nazih Fares
Nick Slaven
Prakash Choraria
Raffaella Folgieri
Richard Bates
Ryan Highley
Ryan Sim
Sam Gage
Sam Webster
Samantha van der Sluis
Stuart Pentelow
Tallulah Martinez
Tarja Porkka-Kontturi
Toby Ellis
Tyler Rotheram
Vinh-Dieu Lam
Game Concept 15-18:
Chair:
Sitara Shefta
Deborah Crook
Derin Halil
Francesco Fraulo
Joe Straker
Mark Ward
Nigel Twumasi
Stuart Greenwood
Game Making 10-14:
Chair:
Alejandro Arque Gallardo
Connor Leigh
Dominic Birmingham
Jonathan Murphy
Kiki Kasiou
Laurence Gee
Lauren Kaye
Nida Ahmad
Game Making 15-18:
Chair: Anna Mansi
Anna Latchman
Ayo Norman-Williams
Damon Baker
Husban Siddiqi
John Hodskinson
Natalie Beran
Niamh Thompson
Robbie Hopkins
EE
Google Play
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Virtual Ceremony, Industry Showcase
Jules Hardy
Public Showcase
Jonas Gawe
Games Committee Chair
Tara Saunders
BAFTA Chair
Sara Putt
Jane Millichip
WDM Entertainment
Young BAFTA Programmer
Amanda Demwell
Young BAFTA Coordinator
Erin Howard
Young Game Designers Coordinator
Daisy Hutchings
Executive Director of Programmes
Lisa Campbell
Executive Producer
Cassandra Hybel
Head of Production
Petra von Schalien
Producer
Ella Coveney
Production Team
Tom Checkley
Lauren Prince
Video Editor
Jamie Rowland
Event Producers
Bethan Chalmers
Coco Carmassi
Natalie Stone
Website Editor
Christine Fleming
Social Media Officer
Luka Kenyon
PR & Communications Officer
Joanna Turvill
Marketing Executive
Erin Croasdale
Graphic Design
Nayumi Suyama
Sami Moodie
Studio Kiln
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Mollie Ratcliffe
Ellie Mason
Science and Industry Museum, Manchester
195 Piccadilly Events Programmer
Juliette Husson
Showcase Weekend Support
Sam Gaffney
Chryshelle Ducusin
Katie Campbell
Kerry Rizzo
Louise Anderson
Louis Lyle
Projection Team
Sharon Masterson
Stuard Allison
Angus Martin