Jonny Birch Free workshops offer head start on competition entries
London, 31 August: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) will host two workshops for 11 to 16 year-olds at Eurogamer Expo, the major annual gaming event, on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 September at Earls Court, London. The workshops are in support of the BAFTA Young Games Designers competition, which is open for entries until Monday 22 October.
During the workshops, which begin at 11am on both days, games professionals will reveal how commercial games are made, help participants to develop their own game ideas, and give them feedback on their pitches.
A limited number of free public tickets, including access to the Expo for the rest of the day, are available for Saturday 29 September from www.bafta.org/ygd. Students from four schools will participate on Friday 28 September: Broadwater School (Godalming, Surrey); Hampton Court House (East Molesey, Surrey); Brentside High School (Hanwell, London) and Winchmore School (Enfield, London).
Speakers at the workshops include Mark Parry, Senior Designer at SCEE London Studio, the team behind EyePet and the BAFTA-winning SingStar series; Mike Bithell, the lead designer at BAFTA-winning Bossa Studios and creator of indie hit Thomas Was Alone; Sophia George, team leader and 3D Artist at Swallowtail Games, winners of this year’s BAFTA ‘Ones to Watch’ Award; Daniel Leaver, Creative Director of Ambient Studios; and Georg Backer, formerly of Lionhead Studios, where he worked on BAFTA-winning games such as Black & White, The Movies and Fable 1, 2 and 3.
The BAFTA Young Game Designers competition aims to inspire the game designers and game-makers of the future by giving young people across the UK the chance to design and create their own video game and develop it with industry professionals. The Game Concept Award is for those who want to write an idea for a new game, and the Game-making Award, presented by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), will suit young people who want to try out game-making software.
The winners will be announced at the British Academy Children’s Awards in November. Their prize includes a visit to a leading games studio, and they will have their game developed further with experts from the University of Abertay, Dundee. BAFTA has partnered with Abertay University and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) on the initiative.
BAFTA is calling on 11-16 year olds to get involved before the closing date of Monday 22 October. For details on how to enter, as well as teaching resources and content from the workshops around the country, visit www.bafta.org/ygd.
Booking details for the workshop on Saturday 29 September:
Children must be aged 11 to 16 years old. A maximum of three child tickets can be requested. Children under 15 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Only one adult per group of children will be permitted. To book, visit www.bafta.org/ygd.
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For further information, please contact:
Elizabeth Porter
Tel: 020 7010 0851
Email: [email protected]
Hollie Rendall
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.
The BAFTA Young Game Designers initiative is part of BAFTA’s commitment to supporting the moving image talent of the future. As well as the competition, BAFTA runs around 200 events per year aimed at inspiring and supporting film, TV and games professionals, both now and in the future.
Young people 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.
About Abertay University
Abertay University's Institute of Arts, Media and Computer Games is the UK centre of excellence for computer games education. The Institute's taught portfolio includes highlights such as four of the UK's ten Skillset accredited programmes including a Masters in Professional Practice in Games Development with forty publicly funded places allocated for UK and EU students. All courses reflect the high level of industry involvement Abertay University's activities, underpinned by academic rigour. www.abertay.ac.uk/studying/schools/amg/
About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 109 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. More information about PlayStation products can be found at www.playstation.com. PlayStation, the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PS3 and PSP are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
*Eurogamer Expo YGD Workshop Press Release (130.5 KB)
