BAFTA yesterday announced six Scottish finalists are in the line-up for the 11th nationwide Bafta Young Game Designers (YGD) competition.
The competition is a year-round initiative of public events, workshops and a competition for 10 to 18-year-olds, culminating in the annual YGD award ceremony to celebrate finalists and winners.
Across five months, young people have been working individually and collectively to unlock their imaginations by developing innovative game concepts and designs.
After thoughtful and extensive deliberation from virtual juries chaired by Dr Jo Twist, Jodie Azhar, Claire Boissiere and Des Gayle, 51 finalists across the UK were selected for their creativity and vision.
Siblings Polly and Thomas Watson, aged 14 and 11 respectively, from Haddington, were both selected for their game ideas, with Polly’s titled “An UNNAMED Game” and and Thomas’s “HotDodge!”.
Thomas said: “My goal is to have a career in gaming, so I couldn’t have asked for a better start with my first game. I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity to develop my skills with industry professionals,” with Polly adding: “It would be amazing to see my idea become an actual game and to be able to tell a story that I’ve had stuck in my head for as long as I can remember!”
Marilyn Briggs and Louisa Allan, both aged 18 and also from Haddington, were chosen for their game, “To Be and Not To Be”, while 13-year-old Peter Owen from Dunblane and 15-year-old Archie Baxter from Tillicoultry were also selected as finalists.
Twist said: “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.”
The winners will be revealed at a special virtual Bafta YGD ceremony, hosted by presenter and journalist Elle Osili-Wood, on July 8.
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