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BAFTA Young Game Designers

13 July 2010
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Harry Potter co-star Matthew Lewis to become Young Game Designers Ambassador

London – 14 July 2010...The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is launching a new initiative that explores the creative possibilities and career opportunities within video games. The BAFTA Young Game Designers competition invites teams of three young people aged 11-16 from across the UK to submit a design for a new video game. The winning team will be announced at the EA British Academy Children’s Awards in November.

The main aims of the competition are to promote creativity, help young people understand the different roles within video game design and highlight the key subject areas for entry into the industry.

BAFTA is partnering with the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), Abertay University and EA for the competition. The winning team will receive a prize package that includes a BAFTA Young Game Designers Award; a work experience stint at Bright Light, an EA games studio, during which they will continue to develop their games concept; and a prototype of the winning game developed with Abertay University. All entrants – including the winning team – will retain the right to take their game to any studio in order to develop it commercially. The competition is open to all children aged 11-16 and further details about how to enter the competition can be found at www.bafta.org/ygd.

Matthew Lewis, best known to fans of the Harry Potter films as Neville Longbottom, has come onboard as the BAFTA Young Game Designers Ambassador. He will promote awareness of the competition to the media, children and their parents and sit on the competition’s judging panel.

On 14 July, BAFTA will host a launch event to kick off the competition with 120 school children from across England. Featuring panel discussions and workshops that focus on gameplay, characterisation, storytelling and environments (how locations and settings impact on games), the event will take place between 10.30am and 3.30pm at Walthamstow Academy. Featured speakers will include BAFTA Young Game Designers Ambassador, Matthew Lewis, young games designer and BAFTA Ones to Watch winner, Vykintas Kazdailis, and EA’s Harvey Elliott, VP, General Manager, Bright Light. Young people attending the event will be split into groups and additional activities will include creating mood boards to outline their games, as well as having the chance to pitch their games and receive feedback from industry experts.

Attending schools:

Barnsley Academy
Northampton Academy
Paddington Academy
Sheffield Park Academy
Sheffield Springs Academy
Walthamstow Academy

About BAFTA:

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. BAFTA’s year-round Learning & Events programme offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, master classes, lectures and much more. It works with groups of all ages and backgrounds across the UK. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit www.bafta.org.

Media attendance is welcome and journalists interested in attending should contact Romley Davies Publicity for accreditation and a detailed schedule of the event.

Contact Details

Print and Broadcast:
Mia A. Farrell
Tel: 020 3301 4747
Email: [email protected]

Laura Hopps
Tel: 020 3301 4747
Email: [email protected]

Online:
Claire Lewis
Tel: 020 3301 4747
Email: [email protected]

*BAFTA YGD Press Release (156.4 KB)