Two students from Newcastle College made it through to the finals of the BAFTA Young Game Designer of the Year Student Awards 2024.
These annual awards were created by BAFTA to inspire and support young people to create, develop and present new game ideas to the world.
Finlay Ross and Sophie Hogg, both 17 and studying Games Design and Development, were shortlisted in the "Game Concept Award" category, for their bank-heist themed momentum game 'The Getaway'.
The students will receive a bundle of games goodies from YGD partners; a series of exclusive masterclasses; digital mentorship and careers advice from industry experts, as well as the opportunity to attend a special showcase event at BAFTA’s HQ in London for being named a finalist.
The final was streamed on BAFTA’s YouTube channel on Thursday 27 June, and although they didn’t win, Sophie and Finlay were still pleased to have made it to the final shortlist.
Sophie said: “I didn’t expect to hear anything back at all, so it was a real surprise when we got the email through to say we were finalists. It feels amazing to be recognised, and we can’t wait to go down to London and meet all the other finalists.”
Finlay added: "It's a big deal to get recognised by such a big corporation, especially being from the North East, being a bit outside of the industry."
Digital Technologies Curriculum Leader James McKenna said: “I’m super proud of Sophie and Finn’s achievement. They deserve to be in the spotlight and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.”
Find out more about studying Games Design at Newcastle College