South east London teenagers in BAFTA Game Designers final

The south east London students have beaten hundreds of other hopeful entrants to reach the final of the BAFTA Young Game Designers competition.

One of the finalists is Caden Cheong, 17, from Orpington, who has been shortlisted for the Game Making 15-18 category for his inventive game, 'Trickshot'.

The 17-year-old's game, in which players take on the role of a cat skater accompanied by their drone mentor, was such a unique concept that Caden had to create a new physics system for it.

Caden is a finalist in the Game Making 15-18 category (Image: BAFTA)

Caden said: "Having entered YGD a few times before, it is an incredible feeling to be selected as finalist this year.

"I am most excited to meet industry professionals and expand my knowledge in games design."

Also from south east London, Felix Myrie, 14, is a finalist in the Game Making 10-14 category with his teammate, Zoe Taylor, 14, from Liverpool.

The duo have crafted an action-packed game called 'Circuit Breaker', where players take on the character of a robot named Pandora, tasked with destroying an evil corporation from the inside across seven 3D levels.

Caden had to create a whole new physics system for his game 'Trickshot' (Image: BAFTA)

Felix Myrie said: "After working on our game for such a long time, being selected as YGD finalists is a great reward, and an amazing opportunity to meet other people who are interested in game design."

In this annual competition, which has been promoting young talent since 2010, budding game designers from across the country, aged between 10 and 18, are in the running for two prestigious awards.

The YGD Game Concept Award rewards the most original and best thought-out game idea.

14-year-old Felix is in the final for the Game Making 10-14 category (Image: BAFTA)

The YGD Game Making Award celebrates the most impressive use of coding skills to create a prototype game.

These games have been judged for their creativity and technical execution.

The winners will be selected based on their game design and suitability for the chosen platform.

The aim is to encourage these young talents towards careers in game design, making the industry more accessible to the coming generations.

Felix and his teammate Zoe's game, Circuit Breaker (Image: BAFTA)

This year's award ceremony is set for for 12pm, June 27.

It will be digitally streamed on BAFTA's YouTube channel and will be hosted by comedian and actor Inel Tomlinson.

The 2024 winners will be featured as part of the Power Up exhibition at the Science Museum in London and at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester from June 28.