Former Larbert High pupil shortlisted for BAFTA

D’Arcy Dhanda, who is a first-year student in the department of computer and information sciences at University of Strathclyde, made the BAFTA Young Game Designers Award shortlist for a game he developed while still in S6 at school.

Nominated in the 15–18 years category for his creation, entitled, Maya, the game follows the life of a young widow in India, who is forced to work long hours in a factory, while raising a child and living in abject poverty.

The game uses a series of mini-scenes revealing both factory work and home life to highlight the pressures that the main character experiences.

D’Arcy said: “The game’s mechanics imitate real-life working conditions and give players a glimpse into Maya’s reality. I wanted to create something people could feel emotionally connected to.

“You spend long days at a sewing machine and even the repetitive actions are designed to reflect the physical strain of that kind of work. People do not always think about those realities.

“I chose to set the game in India because I am Indian myself and I felt I had the cultural understanding to tell the story.”

The student hopes to continue developing the game, and has hopes that his BAFTA nod can open industry doors.

He said: “I started working on Maya when I was in S6 and I think it still needs more time. Six months of development is not very long in game design.

“My hope is that being part of the BAFTA competition could help me get a foot in the door of what is a very competitive industry. I would like to become a full-time software engineer one day.”

Professor Martin Halvey, head of the department of computer and information sciences at Strathclyde, said: “D’Arcy’s nomination reflects both his creativity and ability to use game design to tell meaningful stories.

“We are delighted to see his work recognised by BAFTA.”

The winner’s ceremony will be streamed on BAFTA’s YouTube channel on Thursday, 18 June at 5pm.