Last week we took part in the BAFTA Young Game Designers‘ workshop, in partnership with Channel 4. BAFTA in London and Accrington Academy in Manchester were connected via video link for two simultaneous workshops, and students taking part came up with some great game ideas for the BAFTA Young Game Designers competition (open for entries until 24th Oct).
Playniac’s Rob Davis spoke about characterisation and storytelling in games. He showed how the characters in International Racing Squirrels were developed from written bios into early sketches and then final 3D models. He also showed how scripted scenarios were incorporated into the game as “storylets”.
Other speakers included Jo Twist (commissioning editor, education, Channel 4), Arthur Parsons (game director, TT Games) and Jamie Cason (game producer, Miniclip). TV presenter Nigel Clarke compered.
Students presented their game ideas to the speakers for critical feedback. Popular ideas included Krazy Klown, where the main character drives around in his clown car to avenge his parents’ death (tagline: “revenge is sweet”); Happy Wheels, a simple 2-wheel, 2D mobile platformer with a range of vehicles and locations (tagline: “gotta keep rolling”); and Thunderbeast, the sad tale of an abandoned boy with beast inside him who must defeat both internal and external demons. We’re excited to see whose ideas win!
Read more on the BAFTA and Channel 4 web sites. View photos here.
