BAFTA Young Game Designers Awards' 11th Anniversary Brochure, 2021

WELCOME MESSAGES 2

BAFTA YGD is one of the most exciting events on the games calendar, showcasing the next generation of game design talent.

Each year, I’m blown away by the creativity, innovation, and technical skill of YGD entrants, so I couldn’t be more honoured to host this year’s ceremony. Not only is it an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of young people in an incredibly difficult year, it’s also your chance to spot the next Hideo Kojima, or Amy Hennig - and to say you saw them first!

Elle Osili-Wood Host YGD 2021

BAFTA YGD is an excellent initiative that encourages aspiring talent to express themselves and showcase their creativity through unique game ideas. In a year when young people’s education was severely disrupted, it is fantastic to see so many wonderful ideas entered. Games have played such an important role in connecting, supporting, and entertaining people over the last year and it has been fascinating to see how much the wider industry has positively influenced the entrants, with a number of them citing their contemporary titles. We were so impressed by the originality demonstrated across the board and extend our congratulations to this year’s finalists Dr Jo Twist OBE Chair of BAFTA Games Committee & CEO OF UKIE (The Association of UK Interactive Entertainment)

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10-14 YEARS

THE FINALISTS

GAME CONCEPT AWARD For the most creative and original concept for a new game

See the designs at ygd.bafta.org

An UNNAMED Game Polly Watson (14)

Help UNNAMED as he tries to gather ideas to restore his deleted world but be careful, as there may be something far more sinister hidden behind the cute designs and happy music.

An RPG in which you play through different game genres and fight their associated creatures. UNNAMED is the only surviving character from a deleted game. He asks for your help to travel the Dreamscape, the place where all creativity comes from, to collect ideas and to restore his game.

Pipeline

Rewind

Habiballah Butt (13)

Sonny Henson (11)

Pipeline is a problem solving game with the aim of teaching players about the global issue of water poverty, and what can be done to help communities who don’t have access to clean water.

Rewind is a game to help people understand the stages of grief so they are more prepared to help somebody who is going through this and to understand how they feel.

A free-roaming survival game where you collect resources to grow strong enough to save the island of WaffleBurger from the Queen of Instectoids - the Sandworm awoken by undersea drilling.

Hector Marriott (10)

In Pipeline you will help a virtual community to flourish by turning dirty water into clean drinkable water. A pipe represents a simplified version of all the water available to the community, it is the focus point of the game. The water running through the pipe starts off very dirty and full of germs. People are drinking the water, but they get sick. Your job is to improve the water supply and make people well. You earn tokens whenever somebody takes a drink – the healthier they are after drinking the water, the more tokens you get.

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When the player enters the game, they are greeted with a purple themed 3D landscape, with a man simply called ‘Dad’ following them and helping them with tasks. After this tutorial level is done, ‘dad’ will simply disappear and the player is placed back in the same level with slight alterations. The game appearance and colour scheme changes with each level, representing the stages of grief and hopefully giving people an insight on how grief works and to understand how someone feels whist they are going through grief.

Save WaffleBurger

A third person action game with a comic book art style, Save WaffleBurger allows you to create your own character as an ex oil-rig worker to try and stop Sandworm’s reign of terror!!! The story begins after the Sandworm is awakened from undersea drilling. With Waffleburger now covered in sand, you must survive and try to return the Queen to her Insectoid home.

Madgick

Eira Jones (12)

Play online against friends to complete tasks for a Magical Animal Rescue Centre. Build cages, feed and heal animals as your rivals try to hinder your plans.

In this logical first person game, the player is tasked with completing a set of tasks to take care of magical animals such as Dragons, Unicorns, Phoenixes and Basilisks. Compete against friends to build enclosures for the animals, feed them and heal their illnesses to earn coins which can be used to buy new magical animals in a range of colours.

MindOfCooking

Raagni Pallan (13) Sahas Jaliyagodage (12) Olivia Galik (12) An open world cooking simulation game where you develop your cooking repertoire and build an empire.

Play in story mode and multiplayer mode, starting from a humble stall in your home country before creating a food empire. Buy ingredients required to sustain your store and build a reputation by satisfying customers.

Open new stores by making deals with investors and maintain a workforce by managing salaries. In multiplayer, interact with other players and compete in weekly events to win awards. Players can also invite one another to come and work in their restaurants for bonuses.

Monsters Under My Bed

Ayesha Seehra (12)

A 15 year old girl jumps into a portal under her bed to save her brother and girlfriend, and in the portal she meets all kinds of interesting monsters.

A 3D point and click adventure game, you play as a young girl named Isla who, along with her girlfriend Maria, ventures into a portal under her bed to save her brother Matthew. Meet interesting characters and explore five varied environments as you track down the psychotic queen and set Matthew free.

Seas of Salvation

Spud in Dew-Fall Wood Edith Prior (11)

Charlie Reid (13)

Plastic pollution is the most hazardous pollution on earth and our seas are in danger. In Seas of Salvation the player has to remove as much plastic from the sea as possible to help save the planet and rescue marine life along the way.

A young but courageous hare called Spud defends the other woodland animals against devious foxes.

Separated from his parents at a young age taken in by The Boss for a life of crime, Javier robs banks all around the metropolis of Camville to pay off a ransom for his parents.

Finley Holmes (11)

The player starts as a diver with scuba diving gear and a knife to cut animals out of plastic waste. When you have collected enough plastic for the level you are on you can recycle the plastic and upgrade to better equipment and boats to collect more plastic and reach higher targets.

Along the way you will be saving sea life, collecting sea bucks to spend in the item store and learning how your actions are saving the planet.

Spud in Dew-Fall Wood is a 3rd person point and click adventure with a day and night cycle. There are different achievements to collect in the game, including: surviving the first night, building a burrow, collecting food and medicines, healing other animals, and training them to create a powerful army. When you collect these achievements you will get acorns with which you can then buy skins and other cosmetics.

Surveillance: Sabotaged

The most unique aspect of Surveillance: Sabotaged is the camera. The player views the game in third person exclusively via CCTV footage, meaning the whole world is black and white. The camera behaves as any CCTV camera would.

It remains static, screwed into place in the wall. The player can manually rotate it on its hinges and switch between cameras as you move between rooms in each bank, but it will never float around in the air to follow them.

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A Splash of Colour Emily Benn (15)

A wholesome but engaging taskcompletion game for all ages when they want to relax whilst still challenging their problem-solving abilities.

When our character’s normally colourful world suddenly turns grey, dull and rainy, they must journey around the town, interacting with townspeople and completing quests to restore the happiness around town. Choices they make in dialogue sections influence how the game progresses and how people react to them. They can also encounter townspeople who will give them ‘Sun Segments’ in return for them completing their tasks. Gradually piecing the sun back together, the character returns colour back to their world.

Light Headed

Andrew Elderfield (17) An adventure platformer based around escaping a large labyrinth full of twisting paths.

In this game, you play as a character with a balloon as a head. They have been captured and put in a laboratory for testing. It is your goal to escape the laboratory. This game is a platformer based around exploration, as there will be many secrets that will lead to important items and powers that can help you along the way.

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Artisan

Oliver Agar (15) William Woolven-Brown (16) Noah Oliver Gooch (16) First person, mystery, story driven, open world survival game about an artist who’s banished to an abstract island and has to survive whilst pursuing their passion for art.

The goal of the player is to gather resources to survive whilst making and selling sculptures in order to escape from the island. Players can trade sculptures with the mafia for a currency called ‘Peirp’ (a play on words with purple since it was considered a valuable colour to artists). This currency can be used to gain consumables from the ‘Kletch’, a mysterious island inhabitant with a love for art. After meeting the Kletch, players can decide between getting off the island with art likely to still be prohibited in the dystopian society or to help the Kletch to make the island a safe haven for artists to pursue their craft.

Space Palette

Holly Wright (17) Rachel Houston (17)

A lone space traveller flies from planet to planet trying to avoid the spreading colour corruption, which has caused planets to be drained of colour before dying.

The player is tasked with travelling from planet to planet, gathering enough resources to overcome the corruption and put an end to it. Players have a limited amount of time on each planet, indicated by how much colour remains in their surroundings, and cannot visit the same planet twice. Players must mine for minerals and cut down trees, waiting too long on each planet will have negative side effects but leaving too early will leave the player with less resources.

Big Fish Litter Fish

Archie Baxter (15)

A simple yet innovative mobile app, using fun and engaging features to promote positive treatment of the environment and awareness of climate change to the younger generation.

The player is introduced at the start to a fisherman at a very dirty polluted pond full of rubbish. The aim is to collect rubbish by tapping on it as it rises to the surface. Once this rubbish is cleared fish will start appearing and the player will then have access to the city. The city at this point is very dirty and full of pollution. In the city the player can sell the fish they catch, change their outfits and tools and upgrade their fishing rods and bait. As the player cleans the pond, it, the city becomes cleaner.

The Super Scaffolder

Zach Thomas (18)

A match-3 puzzle game with a unique and refreshing twist using platforming as a second core concept for the game, all set in very unique environments full of fascinating characters.

The player will begin the level in a traditional match-3 style game where they are tasked with matching pieces in combinations of 3 or more. Instead of scoring points, every successful match will create a platform in place of the shapes you matched. The player should be trying to create a path of platforms for them to navigate from the left of the screen to the right After the player has used all their moves or they end the matching phase prematurely, they will attempt to run and jump across their platforms and any pre-placed objects in the level to reach their target.

Brains & Brawn

Joe Straker (18)

Each player has a slightly altered perspective of the same level and must work together and communicate to succeed in this puzzle-platformer, and to progress their own character’s path of self-discovery.

The game is exclusively co-op; it focuses on two characters on their own journeys of self-discovery, joined in their journey to escape a metaphysical tomb they find themselves trapped inside. Although, as these characters are on separate introspective journeys, they perceive and interact with the world differently. David, the smaller character, can see doors and levers that Goliath cannot, while Goliath can move obstacles and throw David to higher platforms. Therefore, with these mechanics, communication, facilitated by a simple ping system, is made necessary.

Thinking Machines

GAME CONCEPT AWARD For the most creative and original concept for a new game

15-18 YEARS

THE FINALISTS

See the designs at ygd.bafta.org

Elsie Williams (17)

Joseph Page (18)

Undergrowth

Wish You Were Here

When a mysterious government organisation captures their creator/ mother and little sister, three robot siblings must band together and go on a cross-country quest to rescue them, discovering a sinister conspiracy along the way.

A story-based platformer where you assume the role of a corporeal woodland spirit tasked with retrieving the stolen heart of the forest from the hands of a greedy overlord.

You play as a detective who uses a series of postcards to time travel, gathering clues in the future and past, then using them to solve cases in the present.

Every level falls into one of four categories which determines the theme and goal of the level: Story levels focus heavily on the overall progression of the story and mainly include puzzles and character interactions. Timed levels have time limits that the player must finish under to complete and feel more accelerated. Search levels require the player to find a specific item hidden in a larger area. Machine levels have a higher number of machine enemies and often end with a boss battle.

The game is a mystery/puzzle game where you solve various cases using time travel. However, this time travel is limited to one day in each of the four seasons, meaning that you can’t simply travel to the day the crime happened to figure out what happened. Instead, you will need to travel to various points before and after the crime in order to gather evidence, interview people, and hopefully piece together the clues you find so that you can solve the case.

A 2D action platformer where each level has you take control of one of three (later four) playable characters, each of whom has their own unique abilities and playstyle. Master stealth and technopathy as Alpha, harness brute force as Muscle, swing and glide across platforms as Spider and battle hordes of enemies as Laser.

Harry Rimmer (15)

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10-14 YEARS

THE FINALISTS

GAME MAKING AWARD For the best original game made using freely available software

See the designs at ygd.bafta.org

Getting out of it

Cells VS Superbugs Peter Owen (13)

Cells VS Superbugs is an educational game that aims to show its players that the threat of Superbugs is a real one, even if Covid-19 is at the forefront of our minds.

In Cells VS Superbugs there are two modes you can embark on, story mode and endless mode. You will start as a cadet in story mode and from there you will be sent all around the body destroying enemy bugs that are a constant in our lives. You will be shown the power of antibiotics. You will have to fight enemy Superbugs to stop them from infecting others around you. What are you waiting for? We Need You!

Andrew Ah-Weng (14)

Thomas Watson (11)

Hot Dodge!

Ride

A short platformer where you only have a jetpack and a rope swing.

An addictive and fast-paced 2D strategy game where you guide your tasty hotdog through 14 actionpacked levels, testing your reactions and agility as you dodge the onslaught of evil healthy vegetables.

Drive and flip through each level, collecting as many coins as possible.

In this game you use a jetpack and a rope swing to traverse a small underground world in order to “get out of it”. The objectives are to flick two levers hidden by two different platforming challenges, then to return to the door and win. The time taken to complete the game as well as number of deaths are displayed on the win screen to incentivise speedruns or deathlessruns.

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One touch of Broccoli is fatal! Freeze to overcome the dastardly Onions or die! Survive their nutritious devilry till the later levels and your delicious ‘dog will gain a shield - but your invincibility only lasts a limited time.

Use it wisely!

Shuaib Magamedov (12)

You have to drive through each level, flipping in the air as much as possible.

You have to collect as many coins and at the end of each level, there is a flag that you have to reach in order to move to the next level. If you fall off then the game restarts. But remember, things are not always as they seem...

Alex Robinson (14)

Colour Pew Pew

Alex Phillips (11)

Corruption

Cube Stacker

You’re the last defender between a solar system and the enemy hordes coming at you in all sorts of colours and sizes - to protect these planets you’ll need to upgrade your ship and match the enemies’ colour to shoot them down.

Corruption is a simple but unique take on the platformer genre, using many techniques to make the game as challenging but at the same time fun as possible.

A simple and easy-to-play game where you match the colours of falling cubes.

The first enemies will spawn into the game and start advancing towards the shield that protects the planet, if they hit the shield enough times they’ll break it and move onto the planet. The enemies can come in 7 different colours; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Purple, as the player you must match their colour to be able to shoot them down.

With each hit on the enemy they will drop coins for you to pick up, if you collect enough of these coins you can purchase upgrades from the Emporium.

Rollin

When you first press play, you will be greeted by a small ball. This is your player. Use the arrow keys or WASD to roll, bounce and heal your ball while racing to the end of the dangerous landscape.

Runaway Trains

Edward Hesketh (11)

An intelligent life-form (“HeadBlockhead”) wishes to waste the brainpower of humans, to stupefy them in preparation for alien invasion.

To do this, the life-form has designed a mobile game. The game takes place in abstract space. The player controls the intelligence cube. On each face of the cube there is an absorption pad of a specific colour.

The intelligence cube attracts other cubes, but only absorbs intelligence when the colours on the faces of the cubes match. The player can rotate the cube to match the colours.

A counter records the amount of human intelligence wasted on matching the colours, rewarding the human.

Steep Ascent

Jack Rafferty (14)

James Lindsay (13)

Suvir Muniyal (13)

A frantic and addicting take on the platformer genre.

Save the runaway model trains from crashing by changing the points.

In Rollin, you play as a ball, slipping and sliding through a variety of tricky levels. The catch: there’s almost no friction! This means that you will slip and slide all over the place, leading to some hilariously frustrating moments.

Your model railway has broken. The trains are running, but the only controls that work are the points. Try to prevent your trains from crashing by changing the points. Stay safe for a certain amount of time to complete the level. As you rise through the levels, you have more trains, faster trains or more complex track layouts.

Control a shooting star as you perilously dodge triangles which shoot out circles.

In Steep Ascent you control a shooting star as it tries to dodge harmful triangles which shoot out circles. You can use a slow motion feature to carefully plan out your trajectory to avoid all the obstacles that get in the way of you and getting your best high score. Your only objective is to get as far upwards as you can which means it only takes a small amount of time to be able to play the game but it takes a long time become accomplished.

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BackYard Racing

Aysheq Hussain (17)

A fun, nitro-fueled, competitive online multiplayer toy car racing game where players get to race circuits around DIY backyard tracks.

The player begins as the driver/ controller of a blue RC toy car at the beginning of a competitive time trial race. The objective of the time trial is to complete three laps of the backyard circuit in a faster time than your opposition, but ultimately to unlock the next stage, the player must complete the level and win at least one gold star. A player can win a maximum of three gold stars and with each star, the player also earns points that can be spent in the car garage on upgrades and customizations.

Marsh

Déjà vu

Doragon

Matt Scalzo (15) Benjamin Samyani (15) Jules Wray (15)

Alice Shepherd (15) Alice Core (15) Eleanor Breheny (15)

A fun and exciting platformer filled with mind challenging exercises and a genderless protagonist.

Samurai Monkey owns a Sushi Shop.

Doragon (the sky dragon) is hungry and wants some sushi, but is too big to fit in the shop. He is insulted by not being let in, so brings his army of goats to siege the sushi shop. The samurai monkey must fight of waves of the goats and eventually Doragon himself, to protect his precious sushi.

To defeat Doragon the monkeys have to find the golden sushi, currently protected by the monkey shaman.

Scientists try to bridge the gap between human and computer intelligence in an experiment. The human involved is trapped inside the brain of a computer and has to try and reach a glitch on each level which is described to do ‘funky stuff’. The glitch spawns clones of yourself and repeats your previous moves backwards.

Tom Kay (18)

Jakub Bala (17)

Springman

The Little Ninja

A 2D Boss rush game in which you take on the Sun and Moon.

Springman is a challenging game where you control the environment rather than the player, who must perpetually climb upwards avoiding the dangerous rising liquid, as well as enemies blocking his path.

The Little Ninja is a fun, addictive, family friendly game where you go through multiple levels with different environments that makes use of vibrant colours and nature.

You play as a marshmallow called Marsh in his quest to defeat the Sun and Moon and avoid their evil attacks. The game centers around Boss rushes which have multiple phases that increase in difficulty.

You must avoid the attacks whist collecting liquid to deal damage to the boss.

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A rogue “Springman” module has breached containment at an undisclosed robotics facility; with your help. You must aid the “Springman” to create an upwards path so you and it can escape the facility.

However, the facility is being flooded with a super oxidising liquid, which will instantly incapacitate the Springman on contact. As well as this, as the player, you must also remove any of the enemies that are trying to stop the Springman from climbing higher.

Finley Jackson (16)

The Little Ninja is about a Ninja who has been tasked to defeat evil Ninjas who are invading. The game gets harder as you progress through the 6 levels, where you fight through 4 waves of enemies per level. The game is designed to be family friendly as the ninjas use tiny bamboo sticks to fight, and there is no blood or gore involved at all.

Earthling: Chapter One Ella Lavelle (15)

The first chapter of a sci-fi RPG in which two aliens (who are exintergalactic jewel smugglers who got arrested and are now doing community service) have to help a human get back to Earth by solving escape room style puzzles all while evading their parole officer and the malevolent King of the Universe, King Herrick!

Thoughtless

Sara Szasz (18)

A first person adventure game where you take the role of a detective in search of their lost uncle in his manor that’s more fiction than reality.

In thoughtless you encounter the staff of a manor and help them with their troubles to progress to new rooms and come closer to solving the mystery of what’s really happening.

As you progress you uncover the truth of the manor, that it’s not real, wellmore accurately, it’s a dream, a safe haven someone created to escape from life. Each of the staff members represents a part of their personality in some way or other. It’s up to the player to get to the final room and try to convince the dreamer to free them all by waking up.

GAME MAKING AWARD For the best original game made using freely available software

15-18 YEARS

THE FINALISTS

See the designs at ygd.bafta.org

To Be and Not To Be

Welcome Looming

Marilyn Briggs (18) Louise Allan (18)

Viktor Abagian (17) Rose Brooksby-Conroy (17)

To Be and Not To Be is a puzzle, a platformer and a paradox all combined into one simple wee game of buttons and boxes.

Alone, afraid and on a frightening quest into the forest, a naive child seeks to find their mother; to do so, they must overcome the threats of nature, solving puzzles and overcoming challenges to survive.

Nature will NOT be as kind this time around in this point and click game.

The user plays as Schrodinger’s cat; switching between being dead and alive to move a piece of radioactive material to the correct place in order to attempt to escape the research facility that the team of scientists have imprisoned you in. When dead the player can move through certain walls and touch the material without being poisoned, when alive you can interact with buttons and physics.

In Welcome Looming you play as a young girl who leaves the safety of home to search for her mother. In cutscenes, a poem is read to the player with the game based around the poem’s themes of the power of nature. Solve puzzles by picking up items, combining them and using them to get other items, before the intensity increases as you flee from a deadly wolf.

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Becoming a finalist has given me so much more confidence in the stories I write and the possibility of sharing these with others is very exciting.

Ayesha Seehra Monsters Under My Bed Game Concept (10-14)

I am honored to have been nominated as a BAFTA YGD finalist.

It is a dream of mine to become a professional game developer and this is a huge step on my journey to realize that dream.

IN THEIR

WORDS

Jakub Bala Springman Game Making (15-18)

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I am incredibly excited to be a YGD finalist and aspire to see my game come to life in some form. I can’t wait to learn as much as I can about game creation in the hopes of someday joining the industry myself.

Joseph Page Undergrowth Game Concept (15-18)

During lockdown, I was enjoying playing games and a thought that ‘maybe I could make one myself’ is what compelled me to learn more about unity and c#. However, I could have never imagined that I would become a YGD finalist. It’s a really great feeling!

Suvir Muniyal Steep Ascent Game Making (10-14)

I am thrilled to be a BAFTA YGD finalist. My game idea was inspired by living near the sea and caring about reducing plastic waste in the ocean. I would love to inspire a new generation of young people to care about the oceans whilst playing an entertaining, fun game.

Finley Holmes Seas of Salvation Game Concept (10-14)

Being a finalist came as a huge surprise! But, now it unlocks new opportunities ahead for us within the games industry… What we’re looking forward to is seeing how far our game can really go! As well as being able to meet some of the professionals within the industry, it really is a huge opportunity for us to be able to open so many paths for us in the foreseeable future.

Holly Wright & Rachel Houston Space Palette Game Concept (15-18)

It is still sinking in that I am a finalist. It is a surreal experience.

I am excited because I think my game has lots of potential to be developed further to support health and wellbeing and could be tweaked to support awareness of any global health risks. I learnt to code at my primary school’s lunch time coding club and I am still grateful to the volunteers who ran it.

It’s such an amazing opportunity we’ve been granted, particularly as it’s really our first step into the world of video game creation…and I’m so excited about the support and mentorship opportunities that BAFTA are offering

Peter Owen Cells Vs Superbugs Game Making (10-14)

Marilyn Briggs To Be and Not To Be Game Making (15-18)

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WINNERS Richard Harris

Harry Petch

Richard is Head of Design at Raynes Park High School and believes that as a teacher, it is his role to make learning fun. Initiating illustration workshops for the students, Richard was able to demonstrate how characters are designed for games and uploaded using various online tools and in person techniques to engage his students. Richard led a vast range of STEM clubs and introduced game design into the main curriculum, where he curated a retro Gameboy exhibition to demonstrate that simple games can make a significant impact and, in turn, empowered his students to create a diverse selection of games.

Richard has established connections with businesses such as Apple and the National Video Game Museum creating opportunities for learning and future work placements.

Harry is currently studying at Abertay University completing his first year Game Design and Production BA Hon. Harry has twice been a finalist for the BAFTA Young Games Designer Awards for the Game Making category in 2016 and 2019.

Whilst in Sixth Form at Oakwood Park Grammar School, Harry set up two games development clubs for Years 7-8 and Years 9-11, creating a safe space for games designing, proving successful with a total of eight students becoming finalists for Games Making and Concept awards through BAFTA YGD. Constantly working on his craft, Harry communicates regularly with previous YGD finalists via Discord to share learnings and teachings to help improve his practice and sessions within the school.

“He has inspired an entire year group.”

“He’s a wonderful teacher and encourages all of the class. He has made making the game consoles even more fun and found a way to still do it even when we’re all doing online school learning.”

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“He helps us when we don’t understand something and keeps a calm and enjoyable environment.”

“He is one of the kindest people that I’ve met, who makes sure that all the work gets done, and doesn’t make you stressed.”

GAME MENTOR AWARD The YGD Mentor Award is given to an inspirational individual involved in helping young people learn programming and game design. More than that, BAFTA wants to recognise those champions who provide kids with opportunities not normally available to them. We collected a jury of diverse voices from the industry and educational organisations who were looking for people who love games, who love the YGD programme and who nurture and encourage a love of gaming in young people. We had a fantastic shortlist - so many people who devote their time, effort, energy and passion to support their students – and we are delighted to make two awards this year in acknowledgement of these exceptionally challenging times for educators and young people.

FINALISTS

Nick Button-Brown Chair, YGD Mentor jury and member of BAFTA Games Committee

Dan Clark

Gregor Manby

Dan created MindJam; a service which provides online help for children suffering with their mental health through gaming and game design, providing an outlet to talk through problems and anxieties, learn new skills and practice positivity.

Activities such as gaming, coding, game creation, digital art and music are proven stress relievers and help the students develop confidence.

Gregor is a teacher at East London Arts and Music teaching Game Design and Development enabling Sixth Form students to achieve Level 3 Extended Diploma’s awarded by University of Arts London. He champions respect, teamwork and collaboration in his practice, championing the introduction of underrepresented demographics to gaming and a future in the industry, particularly women whom he feels are not as represented in the field of games designing and creation. Gregor is also an advocate for promoting cross subject collaborations with Music and Film & TV students. Gregor has also externally supported UKIEs Digital Schoolhouse initiative as well as promoting online learning for other companies.

As a teacher for 20 years, Dan has experience working with children and specialises in supporting children with ASD, ADHD, Trauma, PDA, anxiety, stress and social issues. Dan works all over the country with schools, councils, and mental health services and is part of Autism Champions acting as Emotional Support and Gaming Consultant.

He has connected with industry giants such as Media Molecule to inspire his students, and promote the use of Dreams and other game creation platforms within schools.

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MEET THE PARTNERS 16

An Electronic Arts Studio

CREATIVE ASSEMBLY

CRITERION GAMES

CA is once again proud to support BAFTA Young Game Designers as part of our Legacy Project’s commitment to inspiring and educating the next generation of game developers. BAFTA YGD is a fantastic opportunity for young people, no matter their background, to gain industry advice and feedback and to realise their creative potential.

Electronic Arts and Criterion are proud to have been an official partner to BAFTA Young Game Designers since 2014.

TENCENT GAMES

UBISOFT

We are proud to support BAFTA Young Game Designers. This is a wonderful opportunity for the next generation of game makers to shine with their talent.

At Tencent we always believe such Initiatives are important to the gaming industry and we are pleased to be part of it together with the inspiring team at BAFTA.

BAFTA Young Game Designers initiative offers a robust infrastructure of support for budding young games developers and we’re delighted to continue to sponsor the programme. BAFTA already helps to nurture some of the best talent across the games, film and television industries; this years’ winners will be in fantastic company.

Working with and inspiring the next generation of game makers is core to our mission to inspire the world to play. Our involvements with BAFTA YGD brings us fresh perspective, enthusiasm and creativity that reaffirms our love of games and making games.

KING

PLAYSTATION

We are thrilled to be supporting BAFTA for another year and are proud to be an official partner to the amazing initiative that is the Young Game Designers Awards. Our passion and vision is to make the world more playful and to create moments of magic for our players, and we need the best talent to be able to achieve this. It’s so important to develop and support young people, and the Young Game Designers Awards gives the industry the chance to highlight and celebrate the pipeline of talent.

SIE and PlayStation Studios are delighted to continue as an official partner to the BAFTA YGD programme. We have always been amazed and inspired by the talented young creators that we meet each year – and the dedication of our partners at BAFTA in supporting them. Now – possibly more than ever – our industry needs to support emerging development talent and ensure that diverse, new voices are able to make games that tell stories for everyone.

WARNER BROS. GAMES

WIZARDS OF THE COAST

We’re proud to be an official partner to BAFTA YGD. Investing in the next generation of creative talent is vital to the future of the industry: that’s why, through this programme - and WarnerMedia Access to Action - we are working together with BAFTA to support upcoming talent.

We’re delighted to be an official partner of Young Game Designers, an initiative by BAFTA that inspires and supports young people to create, develop and present their new game idea to the world. At Wizards of the Coast we create entertainment that inspires creativity, sparks passion, forges friendships, and fosters communities around the globe. In every pursuit, our mission is to inspire a lifetime love of games and, as such, we wholeheartedly believe in supporting the next generation of game developers, visionaries and industry leaders.

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Game Concept Anastasia Dukakis Callum Langstroth Chris Filip Daisy Fernandez Dave Springer David Shenoda Edd Coates Els White Erin Harrison Georgia Ayling Helen O’Dell Jamie Brannan Jason Tuyen JJ Fox Kirsty Gillmore Lana Zgombic Lena Barendt Luci Holland Marina Diez Naomi Biro Ranjani Natarajan Richard Tongeman Roman Ohlendorf Rory McCutcheon Sam Hughes Sarah York Sophie Capeci Tara Mustapha Game Making Abbie Willett Albert Naumovs Anand Subramaniam Bex Edmondson Husban Siddiqi Kevin Agwaze Laurie James Michael Lojko Nareice Wint Zakia Abdullah

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Game Concept 15-18 Dr Jo Twist OBE (Chair) Ayo Norman-Williams Catherine Woolley Chris Cox Corey Brotherson Declan Cassidy Elle Dudley Ennio De Nucci Jane Douglas Jules Morgan Leah Muwanga-Magoye

JURIES

READERS

Game Concept 10-14 Jodie Azhar (Chair) Alexander Francois Anna Hollinrake Charlie Benson Elizabeth Orji-Smith James Brace Matthew Barr Shay Thompson Simon Smith Tiffany Wild Major Tom Mouat

Game Making 10-14 Claire Boissiere (Chair) Alena Rybik Ali Tocher Dominique Starr James Stone Julien Bares John Stanley Mark Cutmore Michael Lojko Sarah Brin Sophia Shepherd Taylor Adams-Harriet Game Making 15-18 Des Gayle (Chair) Aoife Wilson Caryn Krakauer Claire Bromley Dave Ranyard Inel Tomlinson Karla Reyes Miles Jacobson Michael Ballantyne Sabrina Carmona Game Mentor Nick Button Brown (Chair) Deborah Mensah-Bonsu Elle Osili-Wood Isobel Aptaker Jack Weedon Julia Hardy Lee Schuneman Melissa Phillips Tara Mustapha Tim Hunter Tom Chase

Host Elle Osili-Wood Official Partners Creative Assembly Criterion Games King Playstation Tencent Games Ubisoft Warner Bros. Games Wizards of the Coast

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO GIVES THEIR TIME AND PASSION TO YGD

Publicity WDW Entertainment Juries With thanks to all readers, jury members and chairs.

For BAFTA

Children & Young People Manager Lisa Prime Games & Children’s Co-ordinator Lewis Peet Producer Georgina Cunningham Executive Producer Cassandra Hybel Production Manager Laura Rees VT Producer Kylie McCarroll Production Co-ordinator Ella Coveney Editors Daniel Dalton Jamie Rowland

THANKS

Executive Director of Learning, Inclusion Policy and Membership Tim Hunter Video Graphics Johnny Luu PR & Communications Ashley McKay Ben Smart Donna Mathews Emma Wellwood Fiona Simpson Molly Diver Nick Williams Sophie Dudhill Partnerships Louise Robertson Emma Tarcy Graphic Design Abigail Bills Additional Support Laura Kloss Emma Nicholson British Academy of FIlm and Television Arts 195 Piccadilly London W1 9LN T: 020 7734 0022 bafta.org Head of Games Committee Dr Jo Twist OBE Chair Krishnendu Majumdar Chief Executive Amanda Berry OBE Chief Operating Officer Kevin Price 19

The 12th BAFTA Young Game Designers opens for entry in October 2021.

See you next year!

ygd.bafta.org @BAFTAGames #YGD2021 /BAFTA