BAFTA Young Game Designers Workshop

Brighton, England, 27 August 2010. Megaton, the UK’s only dedicated gaming magazine and website for kids and the Eurogamer Expo, Britain’s biggest public gaming event are thrilled to host a workshop with BAFTA as part of the BAFTA Young Game Designers initiative to find the next generation of budding young creative talent. The workshop will take place from 2pm until 5pm at Earls Court, London, on Sunday 3 October. Access to the Expo will be available from 11am.

Promoted in Megaton magazine and online through www.megaton.co.uk, 100 tickets for the Eurogamer Expo will be given away together with the workshop places. As well as being able to play all the latest games at the Eurogamer Expo before they are released this Christmas, participants will work in teams to get a head start on their entries to the UK-wide BAFTA Young Game Designers competition, speak to games industry professionals, and even have the chance to pitch their game idea to the experts!

BAFTA Young Game Designers invites teams of three young people aged 11 to 16 to submit a design for a new video game. Workshop participants don’t have to enter the competition, but they could win some fantastic prizes. The closing date for competition entries is Monday 18 October. For further details visit the BAFTA Young Game Designers website: www.bafta.org/ygd.

To apply for workshop tickets go to the 'BAFTA Young Game Designers' page on www.megaton.co.uk and enter the names and ages of the children, and any accompanying adult. Successful applicants will be chosen at random and notified on Monday 27 September. Children must be aged 11 to 16 years old. A maximum of three child tickets can be requested. Children under 15 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Only one adult per group of children will be permitted.

-ENDS-

About Eurogamer Network:

Founded in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman, Brighton-based Eurogamer Network is the publisher of Europe's most popular independent videogames website, Eurogamer.net. Eurogamer is available in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish and Romanian editions. Other sites operated under the Eurogamer Network include digital download service Get Games, the world's market-leading industry resources, GamesIndustry.biz, GamesIndustry.de and Megaton.co.uk - the videogaming website for kids who love to love games. The company also operates live events including the Eurogamer Expo and the GamesIndustry.biz Career Fair. More information about the Eurogamer Network can be found at www.eurogamer.biz.

For more information contact:

Catherine Channon

E: cat@eurogamer.net

T: +44 (0) 1273 712 562

About SkyJack Publishing:

Formed in 2009, SkyJack Publishing provides print-based contract publishing services for the entertainment media industry. Clients have included Cartoon Network, Egmont Magazines, 20th Century Fox, Activision, The Mirror Group, Tesco, Morrisons, Topps, Dorling Kindersley and more. The company’s co-founders previously worked at Egmont Magazines for over a decade, where they created the highly successful TOXIC magazine and The Official Ben 10 Magazine.

More: www.skyjackpublishing.co.uk

For more information on Megaton magazine contact:

Matt Yeo

E: matt@skyjackpublishing.co.uk

T: +44 (0) 7801 256327

W: www.megaton.co.uk

About BAFTA Young Game Designers:

The BAFTA Young Game Designers competition invites teams of three young people aged 11-16 from across the UK to submit a design for a new video game. The winning team will be announced at the EA British Academy Children’s Awards in November. The main aims of the competition are to promote creativity, help young people understand the different roles within video game design and highlight the key subject areas for entry into the industry. BAFTA is partnering with the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), Abertay University and EA for the competition. The winning team will receive a prize package that includes a BAFTA Young Game Designers Award; a work experience stint at Bright Light, an EA games studio, during which they will continue to develop their games concept; and a prototype of the winning game developed with Abertay University. The closing date for entries is Monday 18 October. Further details can be found at www.bafta.org/ygd.

For more information on BAFTA Young Game Designers contact:

Laura Hopps

E: laurah@romleydavies.com

T: 020 3301 4747

About BAFTA:

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further informatio