A HOYLAKE schoolboy has reached the final of a national competition after designing his own computer game. 

12-year-old Milo Trafford-Horan has been shortlisted as a finalist for the YGD Game Concept Award, for his concept ‘Super Babies: The Platform Game’ - a static 2D platformer game, based on a comic strip series also designed by Milo.

The award is one of the categories in the 12th nationwide BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) competition.

BAFTA YGD is a year-round initiative of public events, workshops and a competition for 10-18 year-olds, culminating in the annual YGD award ceremony to celebrate finalists and winners.

This year’s winners will be revealed at a special virtual BAFTA YGD ceremony, taking place on Thursday, June 30. The ceremony will be hosted by actor, TV presenter and comedian, Inel Tomlinson.

Over the last five months, 10 to 18 year olds across the country have been creating original concepts and designs for a brand new video game.

Entrants have been working both in teams and individually, at home and at school. A virtual jury of industry professionals, chaired by Dr. Jo Twist OBE, Jodie Azhar, Nick Button-Brown and Des Gayle, have selected 40 of the most creative, thought-provoking and visually exciting games for this year’s final.

2022 winners will be featured in the prestigious Power UP exhibition, alongside some of the very best video games and consoles from the past five decades. Transferring from London’s Science Museum, the exhibition opens in Manchester at the Science and Industry Museum on June 18, where it will stay open until the end of 2022.

Dr. Jo Twist OBE, chair of the BAFTA Games Committee and CEO of UKIE, added: “Congratulations to all 54 BAFTA Young Designers finalists: each of them deserves the recognition that YGD gives.

"With the support of our official partners, we are delighted to celebrate the creativity of young people who are passionate about using games to tell stories and create experiences that tackle gender identity, mental health, and climate change.

"An important part of BAFTA’s mission as an arts charity is focusing on emerging talent and YGD has become a major event in the games industry calendar which spotlights some incredibly talented young people, some of whom go on to have careers in the games industry.“