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Park High School First Year in BAFTA Young Game Designers Competition

Mr Wong and YGD club students holding posters for the game creations

We are delighted to share that one of Park High’s entrees into the BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) competition made it through to the judging round. This is the first time we have participated in this national competition, organised by the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA), and it is a huge achievement to get so far on the first attempt. 

The competition is open to all young people aged 10–18, aiming to inspire and celebrate the next generation of game creators. There are two exciting categories: 

  • Game Concept Award – celebrating the most original and imaginative game ideas. 

  • Game Making Award – recognising technically impressive and fully playable games. 

Participants may enter individually or as a team of up to three students within the same age group. For our debut year, we were proud to have three talented teams representing Park High School: 

  • Team DS: Darwin(Year 7) created Digs, an adventure game starring a heroic dog who must overcome a variety of canine-themed challenges to earn the prestigious Dog Medal. 

  • Team HAD: Het, Amos, and Darius (Year 8) developed Soul Retriever, a spirited and imaginative adventure game following charming soul characters on an epic quest. 

  • Team D-Construction: Daniel (Year 9) designed Monkey King of the Jungle, a vibrant, jungle-themed adventure where different monkeys race through challenges to become the ultimate Banana King. 

Our journey began with the launch of the BAFTA YGD Club, where students explored the competition, examined examples of previous winners, and began developing their own ideas. While some pupils came with existing concepts, others were eager to learn the fundamentals of coding. Recognising the importance of building a strong foundation in design, all our teams chose to enter the Game Concept Award this year, honing their creative and planning skills first. 

“I really enjoyed the club and creating my own games using my crazy ideas. It was great fun, and I learnt a lot about how games are created.” – Darwin Shah 

“I really enjoyed the club. It helped me learn how to make a game, explore my ideas, and make changes to my plan. It was amazing.” – Darius Sorodoc 

Each submission was judged on the originality of the concept, gameplay design, and the suitability of the idea for its chosen platform.  

We are proud to share that Team D-Construction progressed to the second round, where their work was reviewed by an extended panel of industry professionals. The judges were particularly impressed by Daniel’s project, Monkey King of the Jungle. We commend him for reaching such an advanced stage of the competition. 

Thank you to Computer Science teacher Mr Wong for teaching and guiding the teams through the competition, helping to bring their ideas to life. 

This experience has been an invaluable opportunity for our students to explore game design, express their creativity, and develop new skills. We are incredibly proud of their commitment, ambition, and the outstanding quality of their ideas. We’re confident this is just the beginning of our journey with the BAFTA YGD competition — and we look forward to returning next year with even more experience and enthusiasm. 

The winners of the BAFTA Young Game Designers Awards 2025 will be announced during a live stream on the BAFTA YouTube channel at 5pm on Wednesday 18 June. 

To find out more about the competition, please visit: 
 https://www.bafta.org/programmes/young-game-designer 

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