British Academy Games Award for Game Beyond Entertainment

The British Academy Video Games Award for Game Beyond Entertainemnt 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".^[1]

The category was first announced on 19 October 2017 and was first awarded at the 14th British Academy Games Awards. 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.^[2] 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.

Since its inception, the award has been handed out four times, most recently to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which was developed by Nintendo.

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[]