The University of Abertay Dundee has built a simple-to-use tool which will allow children to create their own working game for BAFTA Young Game Designers, in association with Electronic Arts and with support from NESTA.

The ‘Games Unpacked’ tool lets people with no knowledge of computer programming build working games by dragging and dropping level elements like platforms, power-ups and dangerous traps.

It is a complement to the successful BAFTA Young Game Designers competition, which involves teams of 11 to 16 year-olds submitting an idea for a new game for a chance to win a range of prizes. These include work experience with Bright Light, an EA games studio, and a working prototype of the game developed with Abertay University. The deadline for entry is Monday 24th October.

Paul Durrant, director of business development at Abertay University, said: “Every young person I know absolutely loves playing games, and Games Unpacked is a fun and easy way to take the next step into making their own games.

“By creating a simple ‘digital toolbox’ of all the elements of a game level, children of any age can build a brand new game and start learning about the fascinating process of games development.”