in a series of challenges celebrating six of this year’s BAFTA-nominated games. “This event is an opportunity for BAFTA to partner
with an organisation like Black Twitch UK, that does a lot of great work in supporting and helping to champion and grow streamers from underrepresented backgrounds. Helping them to find their audiences and give them a voice. “And I think for us – BAFTA’s not done a lot of
streaming events before, and we’re trying things out. I think it’s really important that BAFTA’s role and the way it talks about the games industry has to be reflective of the activities that are happening in the industry – you can’t do the same ways of talking about games as we do for TV and film. So we have to meet the games industry audience and we have to participate, as much as we have to be thought leaders in that. And I think, across all of that, we want this to be a fun event. Ultimately, it’s two and a half hours of people having a laugh, but it’s also there to try and think about games in different ways. Also it’s about supporting the streaming sector and the diversity of people in that, as we would across any other parts of the industry.”
BAFTA CREW So what about BAFTA’s future? What can we expect to see as the industry continues to mature and grow during this transformational time? What level of support will BAFTA provide to the games leaders of the future? “BAFTA Games has been a little quiet over the last
few years, so it’s time to revitalise that programme,” says Hebblethwaite. “And as part of that, we’re changing the way we work. A good example of that is in the new tier of membership called Connect. It’s an evolution of what we used to call BAFTA Crew, which has been a long- running programme. “That initiative was kind of running to the limits of
what we could sustain as a separate initiative, so now it’s evolved into a new tier of membership. The point of that membership is it brings those people much closer into the main BAFTA network. So they’re going to have access to the same events and opportunities that our full members would have, but also they’re getting that extra support and community work that the Crew had as well. “So we’re looking at like a full day conference for them
about games, we’re looking at a bespoke programme for more early career activities that might not be so relevant to the full BAFTA members. That’s one of those areas that we’ve thought a lot about and adapted. Of course, it fits into TV and film as well, but I think it’s a real opportunity for games to give people in those early roles some really good opportunities, to give them a boost in their careers.
38 | MCV/DEVELOP April 2022
“It’s a really exciting evolution and ultimately, as we
deliver more events, I obviously want more people to join. I want to see a thousand members in the games industry in the next year or two. But in doing that, of course, we need to make sure that, even though we’re a charity and every member really is supporting the work we do as a whole, we also need to make sure that those members are getting something back. You can’t do one without the other. It’s about making sure that we’re committing to delivering, and making sure that people are getting a return on their investment into BAFTA, the trust they placed in us by becoming members.”
LOOKING AHEAD As he settles into his new role and (at the time of our interview) looks forward to the BAFTA Games Awards, Hebblethwaite takes a moment to reflect on the passion the charity has for the game sector, and its potential to do important work for the industry. “I can see the sheer amount of hard work and
professionalism that goes into creating these awards, and the care that’s gone into things like accessibility, how we get people around the venues, the kinds of adaptations that are made to help support people. I’m really pleased to see that kind of thinking. “I was lucky enough to work at the film awards, and
you can see that it’s the same level of care for games as well. I’m hugely excited about the awards, it’s great to be back in real life and to take time to celebrate the games industry and to celebrate the craft and the art. “This is a moment of cultural recognition for games,
and BAFTA is one of the few organisations that can do it like this. I think that’s really important, and it’s something the industry can be proud of. And we couldn’t do it without the support of our members, whether that’s full members, Connect members, or whether it’s our industry partners who also support us. “My message to people is to get involved: if you want
to become a BAFTA member, talk to us. If you’ve got ideas about how BAFTA can change for the future, come and talk to us. This is a changing time for the industry, and I’m all ears to what that should look like. I’ve got my ideas, but there’s a lot of great ideas out there. If you think there’s things we should be doing, or things we shouldn’t be doing, get in touch and let’s work on this together. “If you’re a BAFTA member, get involved, turn up to
events. You’ll get out what you put in. I think for me, this is the time to help us shape the industry. I think as an arts charity, it’s our role to make sure that we’re talking responsibly about the industry. We’re doing this to support the up and coming talent from all walks of life within that.”
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