Actor, comedian and presenter Inel Tomlinson hosts special digital ceremony.
Puzzle games, alien eggs and carrier pigeons were the winning concepts for a spectacular array of competition entries at this year’s Young Game Designers event.
It was the twelfth time that BAFTA has held the awards. Organisers hope the initiative will inspire and support young people in their goals to create, develop and present their new game ideas to the world.
The competition saw entrants from across the UK take part. Previous winners had been encouraging youngsters, who are aged between 10 and 18, to enter into the four different categories, which included gaming concepts and game making.
‘If you are hesitating about whether to get involved or not, just go for it! Even if you don’t win, you can still learn valuable skills about making games,’ says Rhianna Hawkins, the 2014 Young Game Designers’ winner.
‘If you dream of making games someday, entering Young Game Designers is definitely a step in the right direction!’
‘Once again we were blown away by the level of creativity and passion embodied in our four winning games this year,’ says Kevin Price, Interim Chief Executive of BAFTA.
‘BAFTA Young Game Designers will continue to support the next generation of game-creators, and we are delighted that this offers young people across the UK the chance to pursue their passion at such an early stage. Congratulations to all. Bring on next year’s entries.’
Winners for BAFTA’s 2022’s Young Game Designers event
The Game Concept Category (10-14 years old) was won by Jasmine Guan (13) from Walkergate, Newcastle. Her game was entitled ‘Tiled in Twilight.’
She was the youngest winner at the ceremony and describes her game as, ‘a pretty pixelated picross puzzle game where you illuminate the past.’
The Game Making Category (10-14 years old) was won by Alfie Wilkinson (14) for his game ‘Egglien.’ Alfie is from Portsmouth and was inspired to enter after meeting a previous finalist. In the game, the player uses alien eggs to fight their foes.
The Game Concept Category (15-18 years old) was won by Jaime Williams (18) from Dundee for her game ‘Carrier Pigeon: World Tour.’
It’s an arcade game about exploration, community, and delivering mail. Jaime was a previous finalist in 2017 before winning this year.
The Game Making Category (15-18 year olds) was won by Andrew Ah-Weng (15) for his game ‘Space Boids.’
This is a game set in space where the player controls a flock of boids to fight waves of enemies. Andrew is based in London and previously won the 10-14 category last year.
Masterclasses and mentorship
‘Congrats to our four fantastic winners! We were so impressed by the skill and creativity displayed by our 54 finalists across the UK,’ says BAFTA Young Game Designers host Inel Tomlinson.
‘BAFTA Young Game Designers is a great way for young people to explore the craft of game design and judging by the standard of entries, Britain has a bright future!’
The winning games will be featured in the prestigious Power UP exhibition at The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.
The winners and all the finalists will also have access to a range of masterclasses and mentorship from gaming industry professionals, as part of BAFTA’s ongoing commitment to accessible pathways into games.
The BAFTA Young Game Designers ceremony was streamed on BAFTA’s ‘Kids and Teens’ YouTube channel.
Official Partners to BAFTA Young Game Designers include: Creative Assembly, Criterion Games, Epic Games, PlayStation, Tencent Games, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Games and Wizards of the Coast.
Main image: Inel Tomlinson hosts the 2022 BAFTA Young Game Designer Awards, Thursday 30th June 2022. Photography credit: BAFTA. Imagery supplied courtesy of BAFTA.