Suffolk New College lecturer up for gaming BAFTA
Sam Read, games design lecturer at Suffolk New College, who is up for a BAFTA. Picture: SUFFOLK NEW COLLEGE - Credit: Archant
A Suffolk further education lecturer is hitting the red carpet next month after being nominated for a BAFTA gaming award.
Sam Read, 27, who works as a games design lecturer at Suffolk New College in Ipswich, is part of a team which has been nominated for a 2018 BAFTA Academy Games Award in the Multiplay category.
Mr Read, from Glemsford, near Sudbury, will go to the Tobacco Dock in London on April 12 for the ceremony to find out whether the game Gang Beasts – which he helped fund and develop – is a winner.
He said: “The game was originally developed by three brothers and a friend. I saw it at an event and knew it would be a seller so I invested some money into it.
“It’s an odd name as it’s a family friendly game but when we started working on it three or four years ago it was a name to use.
“The game then went viral and at that point you can’t change it [the name].
“My involvement was as an executive producer. I had an experience of getting a game to market and after lots of hard work, the game is doing good business.
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“The game has made millions for some people. I did OK and it paid for my mortgage – but I’m not a millionaire.
“My aim was not to necessarily get rich but to win awards. So if this game wins a BAFTA, it would mean the world.
“If I had the chance to go up and say a few words, I’d thank my parents for supporting me. Even though they didn’t get my interest for games, they always supported me.”
Marketing manager at Suffolk New College Craig Shimmon said: “The fact that one of our lecturers has a chance of being part of a BAFTA win shows the kind of calibre and quality of staff that work for us. We wish Sam all the very best.”
