The British Academy Video Games Award for Game Beyond Entertainment is an award presented annually by the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of "games that deliver a transformational experience beyond pure entertainment".
The category was first announced on 19 October 2017 and was first awarded at the
14th British Academy Games Awards
The 14th British Academy Video Game Awards hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on 12 April 2018 at Troxy honoured the best video games of 2017. It was hosted by Dara Ó Briain, who had previously hosted the 12th ceremony in ...
. Unlike other categories which place emphasis on aspects such as gameplay, animation and technical achievement, entries in Game Beyond Entertainment are judged solely on content, with a specific focus on the game's emotional impact, thematic fit and innovative use of the medium to explore and deliver impactful messages.
Throughout its run, the category had awarded and nominated games depicting a range of important social issues and emotional experiences including coping with
mental health issues such as
depression,
anxiety,
PTSD and
psychosis,
dementia, coping with
grief and loss,
LGBT themes,
racial injustice and
coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
.
Since its inception, the award has been handed out five times, most recently to ''
Before Your Eyes
''Before Your Eyes'' is a 2021 adventure game developed by GoodbyeWorld Games and published by Skybound Games. It was released on Microsoft Windows on 8 April 2021, followed by a port for macOS in September of the same year. Ports for Android ...
'', which was developed by Goodbye World and published by
Skybound Games.
Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years are listed as per BAFTA convention, and generally correspond to the year of game release in the United Kingdom.
References
{{British Academy Games Awards
Video game award ceremonies
British Academy Games Awards