Flower Blooms to Bag a BAFTA by Pippa Irvine
Last Week’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Video Games Awards saw the very best talents in the gaming world recognised for their achievements in categories such as audio, strategy, gameplay and original score. The swanky ceremony, held in the Park Lane Hilton Hotel, was attended by many an enthusiastic gamer of the celebrity variety and highlighted the importance that gaming holds in enriching the daily lives of so many of us today.
In a follow up to the recent FAD article ‘The Art of Gaming’, the question is; who won the coveted prize for artistic achievement? The award places focus upon the creative talent behind a games visual experience, an element which is crucial to the overall effect.
Described by BAFTA as ‘An artistic triumph’, the winner in the Artistic Achievement category was Flower. Developed for the PS3 by ThatGameCompany, Flower exploits the tension between urban bustle and natural serenity. Players accumulate petals as the onscreen world swings between the pastoral and the chaotic.
In Flower, the surrounding environment, most often pushed to the background in games, is pulled to the forefront and becomes the primary “character.” The player journeys through a beautifully vivid and changing landscape creating a fresh and engaging experience. This stunning game is a completely original step away from the mainstream war, guns and violence games that dominated the rest of the category making it a thoroughly deserved winner for the artistic agenda.
