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BAFTA Hosts Discussion Forum on Challenges Faced by Games Journalism

26 June 2012
Joypad by photographerpandora on Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/photographerpandora/2847453871/.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is to host a discussion forum on the relationship between the media and the games industry.

A panel of games journalists, reviewers and writers will the challenges facing games journalism, and take questions from the audience and live on Twitter via @BAFTAGames and #BAFTAGames.

The event will take place at BAFTA’s headquarters – 195 Piccadilly in London – at 7pm on Monday 16 July.

Chaired by Keith Stuart, regular contributor to The Guardian Gamesblog, the debate will cover questions such as: How independent is games journalism from public relations? Does most coverage talk only to hardcore fans? What are the career opportunities for newcomers, or veterans? Does criticism have any impact on the games made or played? Does anyone pay attention to reviews, anyway?

The event is open to the public, with a limited number of free places available for journalists and aspiring writers, and games developers and publishers who would like to meet the press in person. Tickets can be reserved in advance via: www.tinyURL.com/BAFTAJournos.

To tie in with the panel, there will also be a special announcement by a new games industry organisation.

BAFTA offers a neutral space for dialogue about the issues that are important to the creative industries. The views expressed by the participants are their own and not necessarily the views of BAFTA.


The panel:

Keith Stuart
Keith has been writing about games since the early ‘90s, and is a daily contributor to the Guardian’s Gamesblog. He has previously worked on Edge, FHM, Sleaze Nation, FourFourTwo, T3, Korg Magazine and many more.

Naomi Alderman
Naomi Alderman is a novelist, journalist and games writer. Her novels, published by Penguin in the UK, have won several awards and been translated into 10 languages. Naomi has written about games for The Guardian and for BBC radio and presented a Front Row special on video games earlier this year. Her latest game, Zombies, Run! – co-created with Six to Start – is an indie hit, which briefly knocked Nike off the top spot in Health & Fitness and has been shortlisted for five Develop Awards.

Rob Fahey
Rob Fahey has been writing professionally about video games for 15 years. He founded the GamesIndustry.biz website in 2002 and edited it for around five years. Ten years on, he continues to write popular weekly columns for the site, as well as working for publications ranging from The Times to Eurogamer and VG247. He has often appeared on BBC TV and radio to discuss the games business.

Helen Lewis
Helen Lewis is the deputy editor of New Statesman magazine, and blogs for its website about games, feminism and tech. She tweets as @helenlewis

Kieron Gillen
During Kieron Gillen's 15 years of professional games writing he won awards, accidentally started movements, and co-founded the successful PC site Rock Paper Shotgun. He now writes comics.

Keza MacDonald
Keza MacDonald has been writing about games and gaming culture for more than seven years, for titles such as The Guardian, Edge, VG247 and Eurogamer. She is currently UK Games Editor at IGN.com, and received a Games Media Award for Best Online Writer in 2011.


Further Information

For further information, please contact Hollie Rendall at Kindred.

Tel: 020 7010 0829
Email: [email protected]


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. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. 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. Follow BAFTA Games news at www.twitter.com/baftagames.

Career starters interested in learning more about BAFTA’s event programmes and how to find exciting and rewarding careers in the TV, film and games industries can visit www.bafta.org/whats-on for event listings, and BAFTA Guru, which provides insights from existing industry professionals, at www.bafta.org/guru.