This year, the BAFTA Game Awards celebrates its 20th anniversary, and the latest nominations prove just how much has changed in 20 years.
The confirmed line-up of nominees for the 2024 BAFTA Game Awards showcases the games industry’s ever-evolving creativity, commitment to diversity and what, in my opinion, is the most impactful form of storytelling. It’s a sign of sophistication. baldur’s gate 3 It leads the way with 10 nominations and follows the deep world that continues to stimulate the imagination. marvel spiderman 2 With 9 people. alan wake 2 8 occurred, but star wars jedi:Survivor and legend of zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Next, line up 6 people at a time. However, it’s not just the big studios that are at the top of the nominations charts. dave the diver and hifi rush Both boast five nominations, but cocoon and dredging I have 4 of each.
The 2023 release transported us to a fantasyland far from the edge of the universe, dragging us out of our bedrooms and directly into some of the most immersive worlds imaginable. It’s no secret that this year was a great year for game releases, in fact a historic one, but it would be remiss of us not to mention the fact that 2023 was also a year plagued by instability in the industry. Sho. We spoke to Tara Saunders, Chair of the BAFTA Games Committee, and Emma Behr, Executive Director of BAFTA and Content, to find out the full story from the highs to the lows of this year, and how the BAFTAs He talked about how he is at the forefront of supporting creatives throughout the period. all.
baldur’s gate 3 It topped this year’s BAFTA Game Awards nomination list, taking 10th place.
No one will soon forget the lineup of 2023 releases. It must be difficult to narrow down the list of best games of the year, let alone choose a winner. It’s interesting to consider what made his 2023 so special. “Even as a developer myself, I think that’s a really difficult question to answer,” Tara began. “Somehow, there’s a bit of magic in the air that led to all these great games being released at once. This year will be his 20th BAFTA Game Awards. […] So it’s really great to be able to celebrate in this way. [year] This is a major milestone for BAFTA. ”
She continued, “2023 is going to go down in history as one of the busiest years for new video game releases. Part of that is, you know, what really happens with this new generation of technology? I think it may be that we’re looking at what’s possible. It may take time to learn how to push the current generation of technology as far as it can go. But a really steady flow of work. , and it’s just a lot of creative, imaginative work pouring out from some of the best developers in the industry. And I think it’s been a great year. I don’t know exactly why, other than perhaps the magic of timing. ” It’s just magic. marvel’s spiderman 2 It excelled in managing to improve on the perfect traverse introduced in its predecessor. super mario bros wonder – These Wonder Seeds literally deliver a transformative experience.
But with the quality of candidates so high, I was curious whether Tara and Emma thought voters needed to change their approach to differentiate such a tight race. “We’ve done a few things this year,” Emma said of the changes to the awards process. “We opened entries three months ago. We want a more informed vote to be taken and to give and allow access and opportunity to a broader and more diverse range of games. Our membership numbers are also growing, and this year we have two categories voted for by our members: Best Game and British Game.”
“There is [a] “You get more diverse expertise,” she added. “We want people with the widest range of expertise to vote in the broadest categories. Another change we made was to publish the longlist in December. We received a large number of 257 entries, with the longlist containing 60, effectively demonstrating the breadth of the game. Part of our mission as an arts charity is to engage people. I mean, I want you to have it. [with these games] To do this, we need to give people more time to participate in play. ”
I was glad to hear Emma mention the longlist. This is the first time in the history of the BAFTA Game Awards that this book has been published and for me, I am grateful for this book highlighting a release that may have missed out on being shortlisted but is still worthy of praise. Did. “I totally agree,” Tara told me. “It actually had more of an effect than I expected. It got the conversation going. […] People were like, “Oh, I’ve never seen it, I’ve never played it.” There were some hidden gems out there that I’m seeing now that led to the nominations, but I think they probably would have been overlooked if we hadn’t published that longlist. . It really helped widen the overall nominations. ” Definitely a positive development.
A number of indie titles were nominated as finalists alongside AAA majors. As Emma pointed out, indie games have been at the forefront of the Games Beyond Entertainment category. Chant of Sennar, Goodbye Volcano High, Chia, Terra Nil, Thirst Suitorsand Bemba:”it is [made up of] All are first-time nominees, with a range of personal stories and themes ranging from climate change to the nature of identity to shared culinary traditions. […] This category is very suitable for showcasing first-time independent nominations. ”
It feels like the range of games offered to us players is more diverse than ever before. I asked Emma and Tara about their observations on growing diversity within the industry. “There is still work to be done, but the industry is seriously changing its face,” Tara began. “I think BAFTA is really helping with that. […] They would never host an event where a bunch of white men sit alone on stage. They think about diversity and representation through it. When you see that, you know it’s the right place for you, so I think it encourages you to get into that industry. And I think BAFTA does a great job behind the scenes, not just on awards night, but throughout the activities that they do throughout the year. Because awards night is like a big spotlight for BAFTA. Yes, you know, we’re going to make it as diverse as possible. But also make sure it’s authentic to the industry. There’s a balance. You can’t do false diversity. It has to be authentic. And I think through what I see through working with BAFTA, that’s always in the conversation. ”
On the subject of reliability, we can’t talk about how 2023 was a great year for game releases without touching on the other half of the story. That’s his impact heading into 2024. The industry continues to be affected by mass layoffs, and the volatile and unpredictable situation is impacting many creators and developers. Emma said of the support provided by BAFTA: “We create communities and we create connections. One of the big things we’ve introduced in the last few years is BAFTA Connect, which is a new tiered membership. It’s for people who are starting their careers and mid-career. It’s the people. [in their] career. We wanted to secure an opportunity to enter the membership and build that trajectory. But we wanted to create learning opportunities and networking opportunities. ”
Emma continued: “I think BAFTA is lucky in that we have a great network in our film, TV and gaming memberships and the convergence of these three areas. We hold them regularly at our head office, we held them in Belfast last week and we’ve held them in Liverpool for the last six months. But you know, these is an opportunity where we can bring in writers, environmental artists, potential CEOs, and we can bring those people together [with the industry]. So you have that opportunity and that support. ”
“We can talk about that privately,” Tara added. “My own career has grown thanks to my involvement in BAFTA, but I think the networking aspect is actually very important. Networking and learning are kind of a blend. Apart from physical interaction. , we have a very healthy Discord community that supports each other. When something happens, people get involved and the British Academy provides a platform for that to happen and to help people work on the next thing.”
The pair will highlight the collaboration between the British Academy and Safe in Our World on the recent Games Mental Health Summit, and the BAFTA’s Breakthrough Program which won Samantha Béhar a BAFTA Games Award nomination. I emphasized. The BAFTA Game Awards are certainly a special night, but support for the industry happens all year round and it’s not just centered around London. Tara mentioned the British Academy’s participation in Scottish Games Week and Yorkshire Games Festival, expanding the charity’s reach across the country.
Finally, we wanted to know whether there was a growing sense of cooperation between the various branches of BAFTA. Due to the success of The Last of Us, Super Mario Bros. movieand twisted metal, It certainly feels like the power of gaming storytelling is becoming recognized across the broader entertainment industry. “As I said, we are privileged to have this great network. We run cross-disciplinary masterclasses and events, all of which are very well-attended. . You’re learning from each other,” Emma said.
“Some transmedia content is a really great way to reach different audiences,” Tara added. “[These projects] It brings in a diverse audience and puts the spotlight on the game. ”
BAFTA Games Awards 2024 will be held on April 11th.