The BAFTA Games Awards 2022 are due to be held this Thursday (7th April), with the prestigious annual ceremony taking place in real life again after two years of online-only, COVID-compliant video versions.
Ahead of the ceremony in the heart of London, RadioTimes.com spoke over Zoom with two key faces from the gaming side of BAFTA: we talked to Dr Jo Twist (above left), who is the BAFTA Games Committee chair and CEO of the industry body Ukie; and Luke Hebblethwaite (above right), who is the Head of Games at BAFTA.
Check out the transcript of our chat below to learn all about this year’s gaming BAFTAs, from the trends you’ll see represented among the nominees to some surprises to look out for on the night.
What have you learned from the two years of online ceremonies? Are there any lessons you’ll take you with you back into physical events?
Luke Hebblethwaite: Yeah, obviously, I think we’re all very excited to be back in real life. I think the lessons we’ve learned around how we output the stream and how we’re dealing with things like Twitch and how we’re broadcasting it and engaging with audiences in, for BAFTA I guess, relatively new ways.
But you know, obviously, keeping up with the times as the games industry and the games audience evolves, and the platforms it’s using [evolve], and so forth. I think we learned a lot in those couple of years about engaging in that way.
And we’re continuing to do that this year, we’ve got the red carpet before the awards ceremony itself, and then the post-awards party, which is screened on Twitch on the homepage, immediately after the awards, and so that’s going to be really exciting, you know, getting that immediate post-show insight and getting those conversations with those people, the winners, and all the other exciting people that are there. So I think, you know, it’s going to be a great evening, with quite a lot going on.
Dr Jo Twist: I would just add to that. I think the BAFTA team did a tremendous job, and pivoting very quickly in the first lockdown, to make it digital. And of course, games are born digital. But what I really enjoyed about the last two years of shows online, is just, you really get across the meaning of games to people, and particularly over the last couple of years, you know, the role that games play in people’s lives and how important they are for entertainment for escape, just to connect with each other, and play with each other during a really difficult time. So those stories really came through. And I think that continues.
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What are some of the gaming trends of the past year that you’re seeing reflected in the nominations?
JT: I think games have continued to grow in popularity, you know we’ve just seen the consumer valuation figures for UK spend released today, and it’s another record-breaking year. And that’s largely led by consoles.
And I think what you saw this year was some of the really amazing titles like Ratchet and Clank really show off the power of that next generation console. I mean, Ratchet and Clank, you know, it really was… I think it got seven nominations this year. And it really is like a playable cartoon or playable animation film. So, really moving the medium on, and then you’ve got these amazing games like Deathloop, which drove me bonkers, but had incredible music, and it’s been nominated for five BAFTAs.
And that kind of [time loop] mechanic, that Returnal also had, that is incredibly frustrating, but that’s a sign of the times. I think it’s really about that, year on year, the graphics quality, the sound, the music, the craft… which, of course, is what these awards celebrate… is absolutely outstanding, and just continues to amaze.
LH: Yeah, I’d completely echo that. I think, especially that valuation Jo mentioned this morning, it is great to see consumers in the UK continuing to spend their money on video games, even [though we are] back out in real life. I think it speaks to the creative and cultural importance of video games in people’s lives.
And, you know, it speaks to the talent of the developers and creatives worldwide, who create those games that create these amazing experiences. And they’re the people that BAFTA is here to celebrate in each of those areas, whether it’s the music, whether it’s the art direction, whether it’s just the technical achievement of what’s going on under the hood, you know, there’s some incredible work done across across all of these titles.
Something like Ratchet and Clank, the way it uses the capabilities of the next-gen hardware to morph between worlds in that wonderfully fluid way. You know, I think what we’ll see as we go forward is games companies taking further advantage of what new technologies unlock, whether that is in the higher-end processing, or it’s just new ways to play games. I think games companies are naturally innovative, and the creatives that work in it, finding new, new, new ways to have fun, and I think we’ll just continue to see and build on that.
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Looking beyond the big-budget games, how important is it for you to highlight smaller games that tackle big topics? You’ve got the likes of Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, which has a big environmental message, in your Games Beyond Entertainment category.
LH: I think if you look back 20 years ago, the games industry is very different. But now, I think the industry is mature, the medium’s mature, in such a way that there are so many amazing stories being told within games. People who aren’t as involved in the medium might not realise.
I think that’s something really important that BAFTA and the BAFTA Games Awards emphasise and celebrate – these really powerful, immersive narrative experiences that you can have within video games, that tell stories in ways that would be difficult to do or impossible in film and TV, that engage players and make them think about living life in other people’s shoes or experiencing something from someone else’s way of looking at the world.
And I think games give you a power, to act and kind of safely explore that environment, to fail and learn and understand the difficulties that other people might face, or different ways that other people might express themselves or face problems, and I think all of the games in that category are doing a fantastic job in exploring that.
JT: I think the BAFTAs are really fantastic at demonstrating the strength of the British games industry as well. You know, Alba is made by a great British games company, a BAFTA-winning company and game-development team. So it’s amazing to see them nominated yet again.
And, you know, other British success stories like Forza Horizon, which is just an incredible journey, I mean literally. What I think is the importance of highlighting these particular games, and BAFTA’s role in games as part of the awards, is really just trying to encourage and demonstrate to the next generation, to young people at school, that this is a career, that these are incredible skill sets, incredible teams of people taking all sorts of different skills to professional level to create these stories.
BAFTA really has its mission to make sure it’s inspiring the next generation. And we see that, through programmes like our Young Game Designer competition, how seriously young people take games as a storytelling medium. So BAFTA’s role in games is, yes, to celebrate the excellence and the craft, but also to make sure we’re inspiring that next generation of creators and next generation of BAFTA winners.
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What does it mean, especially for a smaller game, to be nominated or to win a BAFTA? Do you get a sense of how much difference it makes to them?
JT: The BAFTA Awards are the most prestigious games awards in the world, because it’s voted for by industry peers, and partly members of the Academy. So it really does mean a lot even to get a nomination. And it is really highly valued.
And that unlocks so much attention, but also just so much confidence for game studios. And again, what I really love about the awards is that you see these really small indies, from the team in Australia that made Unpacking, which was really lovely zen game, to the likes of Alba, to the huge triple-A titles like Ratchet and Clank and even Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. You’re standing on the same platform and being recognised by your peers, who you respect, who are highly talented, so it means an incredible amount to these companies – big or small.
Is it important to you that the focus stays on the nominees and winners? I won’t name names, but some gaming awards shows almost feel more like marketing events full of trailers for upcoming games.
LH: Yes, 100%. I mean, this is about the industry and the peers within the industry acknowledging the craft and the talent that goes into making those games. This is about the people that make the games.
I mean, I’m sure that it certainly helps for marketing when games are BAFTA-nominated, but the focus here is on what goes into making them and the heart and soul and the talent and the effort. And all of the things we would want, as artists, to recognise as creators.
That’s what we choose to recognise at BAFTA, and that’s why it stands out. And I think that when we talk about prestige, it’s understood that the people who are voting on these games, the people that are going into the nominations process, understand the blood, sweat and tears, but also the effort and the heart and the sheer creativity that goes into creating titles that are getting recognised at this level. And I think that’s hugely important.
We’ve seen over the last week that a whole awards ceremony, even one as big as the Oscars, can be overshadowed by one moment that goes wrong. All going well, what do you hope that people remember after the BAFTA Games Awards this year? What are you looking forward to and what do you hope the overall feeling is?
LH: Talking from my experience of the games industry as well, I think there’s such a good feeling in the room at the BAFTA Awards, and the games industry has a very strong community feel. So I think that the people there, obviously they’re keen to win, but if someone else wins, I think everyone understands and appreciates how much effort has gone into these games, and everyone shares in that love.
So I think we just have a very friendly, fun vibe, I think it’s actually quite relaxed. So I’m really feeling very positive about how it’s gonna feel on the day. I think, coming away from the BAFTAs, the main thing we want to celebrate is the craft of video games. I think it’s about the cultural recognition of the work that’s gone into that, it’s about celebrating that talent. And I think these are amazing titles. And you know, where do we go from here? What’s the future of the industry? And what are we going to see next year?
JT: I mean, for me, I’m stepping down as games chair this year after my long stint. And it would be so delightful to be on the red carpet. Again, people always assume, ‘Well, it’s the games industry – why would you want to dress up?’ Well, we are humans. And we like to celebrate each other’s craft and each other’s successes and get together and really be proud of the industry that we work in and be proud of the innovation and creativity that these wonderful teams have, because teams make games. It’s such a team sport, so it’ll be so wonderful to be back in the room with everyone, out of our pyjamas and into our glitz.
The BAFTA Games Awards 2021 begin at 7pm on Thursday 7th April.
The Awards will be live streamed on all major social platforms including BAFTA’s Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, YouTube, and for the first time, Steam.
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