The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual award ceremonies, BAFTA has an international programme of learning events and initiatives offering access to talent through workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures, and mentoring schemes in the United Kingdom and the United States.
The BAFTA Games Awards or British Academy Games Awards are an annual British awards ceremony honouring "outstanding creative achievement" in the video game industry. First presented in 2004 following the restructuring of the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards, the awards are presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, television and video games. These Awards are separate from the British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Film Awards.
The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be voted online via GamesRadar+. As of 2023, the ceremony was in its 41st year. It is the longest-running video game award ceremony, launched in 1983, and the second-oldest video game award ceremony after the Arcade Awards, launched in 1981.
Within the video game industry there are several awards that are given to individual video games, development studios, and other individuals to recognize their merit. Most video game awards are given out on an annual basis, celebrating the best games of the previous year. Most of these awards come from organizations directly within the industry, but there also exist several that come from broader media groups. In addition, many video game publications supply their own end of the year awards.
The 5th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), was an award ceremony honouring achievement in the field of video games in 2008. Candidate games must have been released in the United Kingdom between 26 October 2007 and 31 December 2008. The ceremony took place in the London Hilton on 10 March 2009. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare & Grand Theft Auto IV led with the most nominations with seven, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the major winner, taking three of the seven awards available.
The 4th British Academy Video Games Awards, awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, was an award ceremony held on 23 October 2007 in Battersea Evolution. The ceremony honoured achievement in 2007 for games which were released between 6 October 2006 and 5 October 2007 and was hosted by Vic Reeves. Wii Sports led with the most nominations with seven. Wii Sports was the major winner on the night, taking six of the seven awards available, equaling the record Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2003) and Half-Life 2 (2004) had with the most awards won in any BAFTA Video Games Awards ceremony. BioShock took the main prize of Best Game.
The 6th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), was an award ceremony honouring achievement in the field of video games in 2009. Candidate games must have been released in the United Kingdom between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2009. The ceremony took place in the London Hilton on 19 March 2010.
The 7th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, was an award ceremony held on 16 March 2011 in the London Hilton. The ceremony honoured achievement in video gaming in 2010 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain. Heavy Rain was the major winner on the night, taking three of the seven awards available.
The 1st British Academy Video Games Awards, awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, was an award ceremony held in February 2004 at the Radisson Portman Hotel in London. Hosted by Bill Bailey, the ceremony honoured achievement in 2003. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was the major winner on the night, taking six out of the eight awards available.
The British Academy Video Games Award for Best Game is an award presented annually at the British Academy Games Awards. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is honouring "the best game of the year, across all genres and platforms". The 1st British Academy Video Games Awards ceremony was held in 2004, with Infinity Ward and Activision's game Call of Duty receiving the award. The award was originally known as Game of the Year – The Year's Best Game for the 2004 ceremony.
The 8th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, was an award ceremony held on 16 March 2012 in the London Hilton. The ceremony honoured achievement in video gaming in 2011 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.
The 10th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, is an award ceremony that was held on 12 March 2014 at Tobacco Dock. The ceremony honoured achievement in video gaming in 2013 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.
The 11th British Academy Video Games Awards ceremony, presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), honored video games of 2014 and took place on 12 March 2015 at the Tobacco Dock in London, beginning at 7:00pm (GMT). During the ceremony, BAFTA presented awards in 16 categories. The ceremony, broadcast live on streaming website Twitch, was hosted by comedian Rufus Hound.
The British Academy Video Games Award for Multiplayer is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of "the best multiplayer game experience, including social, online or offline". The award was formerly known as the British Academy Video Games Award for Online Multiplayer at the 2005, 2012 and 2013 ceremonies.
The 12th British Academy Game Awards awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, is an award ceremony that was held on 7 April 2016 at Tobacco Dock in London. The ceremony honoured achievement in video gaming in 2015 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.
The 13th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, is an award ceremony that was held on 6 April 2017 at Tobacco Dock. The ceremony honoured achievement in video gaming in 2016 and was hosted by Danny Wallace.
The British Academy Games Award for Technical Achievement is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) as part of the British Academy Games Awards. It is given in honour of "the best innovation in gameplay or technology". The award was initially known as Innovation at the 3rd British Academy Games Awards ceremony, held in 2006, and was awarded to Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain?, developed and published by Nintendo. The award was absent from ceremonies held in 2008 to 2010. before returning to the 8th ceremony held in 2011, under the name Game Innovation. For the 2020 awards, the category was renamed again for Technical Achievement as to encompass gameplay programming and visual engineering.
The British Academy Video Games Award for Performer in a Supporting Role is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in honor of the best supporting performance featured in a game "from voice artistry through to motion capture".
The British Academy Video Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in honour of the best leading performance featured in a game "from voice artistry through to motion capture".