Talented Michael nets prestigious BAFTA Young Game Designer prize

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the four winners of the 10th nationwide BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) competition.

Among them was talented Oldham 17-year-old Michael Ballantyne, who secured the prestigious Game Making Award (15-18-year-old category) for 'Contramotion'.

This year’s winners, selected by a jury of industry experts, were revealed at the first-ever digital ceremony, hosted by presenter Aoife Wilson. 

BAFTA YGD discovers, showcases and supports Britain’s young games talent by providing access to some of the most creative minds in the industry, through a year-round programme of mentorship, workshops and networking. Further information can be found here.

This year’s cohort of 53 talented finalists were competing across four categories: two for YGD Game Concept, celebrating the best original game idea from the 10-14 and 15-18 age groups, and two for YGD Game Making, rewarding the coding skills used to create a prototype game in the same two age groups.

Entries were judged on gameplay design, creativity and suitability for the chosen games platform. 

The 2020 BAFTA YGD winners include four aspiring game creators aged between 10 and 18: 

Michael Ballantyne, Contramotion - Game Making Award (15-18 year old category)

Cameron Crosland, Strung Up - Game Concept Award (10-14 year old category)

Evie Sanger-Davies, Fruit Frenzy - Game Concept Award (15-18 year old category)

Alex Robinson, Complicated Co-operation - Game Making Award (10-14 year old category)

Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said: “We are proud to be celebrating the tenth anniversary of BAFTA YGD, an initiative focused on recognising and championing young talent in games.

"We are so impressed with the amount of skill and creativity showcased by our 53 finalists, from all over the UK, and wish to extend a huge congratulations to our four brilliant winners!

"I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the educators across the country who continue to support this important initiative and inspire their students through the power of games.”

In light of government restrictions and advice in relation to COVID-19, the BAFTA YGD Awards took the format of a pre-produced digital show, streamed as-live on BAFTA’s YouTube and available to watch afterwards.

The ceremony was hosted by Aoife Wilson (writer, presenter and producer for Eurogamer), with notable industry figures congratulating this year’s deserving winners, including Abubakar Salim, Alysia Judge, Julia Hardy, Elle-Osili Wood, Austin Wintory, Troy Baker and Siobhan Reddy. 

Michael's winning entry is a minimalist 2D platformer based around mirror images and bad puns.

Contramotion is a game centred around two genderless cubes, Remmie and Rumble, who over the course of the game achieve absolutely nothing except making all those who hear their dialogue cringe in despair.

Explore 20 handcrafted levels, enjoy eight original soundtracks, and get ready to die repeatedly as the difficulty of the game ramps up exponentially.

Test your ability to multi-task and keep an eye on each half of the screen at all times as certain hazards only apply to certain cubes.

Game-play aside, you'll find that the visuals in this game are quite simple due to his lack of ability to draw.

However, don't fear: you will find the story isn't that much better either. So jump! Dodge! Shatter into tiny pieces!

But most of all, try to make it to the end! It's not easy.

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