Celebrating new talent and innovation in the video games industry…with Dare to be Digital and Dare ProtoPlay
“The decision by BAFTA to make computer games its ‘third arm’ is overdue endorsement of a genre that has struggled for artistic recognition…If recognition by BAFTA helps the industry to raise its game, then it will soon be accepted without dispute.”
Mark Brown, The Guardian
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is the UK’s leading organisation dedicated to the recognition and promotion of excellence in the fields of the moving image. Renowned for its high profile Film and Television Awards ceremonies, the prestigious BAFTA mask has long been seen as a symbol of excellence. Video games now sit alongside film and television in their power to entertain and educate and the Academy is dedicated to encouraging the long-term development of this burgeoning art form which is continually pushing the boundaries of creative excellence and technical virtuosity.
Whilst the Academy recognises those individuals at the top of their game, it also wishes to nurture the developers of tomorrow by recognising up and coming talent. Dare to be Digital, originated by Abertay University and now covering the whole of the UK, represents the perfect means to do this.
The teams who showcased their prototypes at Dare ProtoPlay in Edinburgh in August were judged on the basis of Innovation & Creativity, Market Potential and Use of Technology. The teams who won these awards were:
Market Potential - Voodoo Boogy for Ragnarawk
Use of Technology - Carebox for ClimbActic
Innovation & Creativity - Phoenix Seed for Bear go Home
These three teams became the shortlist for a new BAFTA Ones to Watch Award.
This year’s British Academy Video Games Awards took place on Tuesday 23rd October at Battersea Evolution, London (see the photos here). Voodoo Boogy were awarded the coveted Ones to Watch Award for their game Ragnarawk. The Awards will be televised on Channel 4 on Saturday 10th November at 08.55am.
For further information on the Awards, visit the Academy’s website at www.bavga.co.uk