Any young person aged between 10-18 years old who dreams of being a games designer should check out the British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) Young Game Designers Awards (YGD), which have opened for entries for the 2022 competition.

BAFTA’s website explains that the initiative came about in order to inspire and support coding for children, so they can share their game ideas with the world. The winner will gain the opportunity to work with leading designers across the gaming industry, receive mentorship if they are 13 or over, as well as landing some top-notch games goodies.

Rhianna Hawkins was the first female winner in of the competition in 2014. She said: “If you are hesitating about whether to get involved or not, just go for it! Even if you don’t win, you can still learn valuable skills about making games ... If you dream of making games someday, entering YGD is definitely a step in the right direction!”

Whether you love producing visual artwork, such as drawing and painting, writing stories, or coding, then games design may be the ideal career path for you. The YGD Awards 2022 has two categories, the Game Concept Award, and the Game Making Award.

The Game Concept Award has separate categories for 10- to 14-year-olds, and 15- to 18-year-olds. Entrants can work individually or in pairs, to come up with an original idea for a game. The entries will be judged on how well the overall concept would work as a game, rather than the quality of the artwork, so you don’t need to have special drawing skills.

For those who are more into the coding side, for example, if you enjoy using Scratch or Kodu, then there is the chance to enter the Game Making Award. Again, an individual or a pair can enter within the previously stated age groups. Entrants are invited to submit an original game they have made themselves.