Sunderland youngster up for family's second BAFTA

Elliot Pace, 14, has been nominated for a Young Game Designer BAFTA in the 10-to-14 year-olds category, for his ingenious new game called Go Home Edd.

The winners are announced on Thursday, June 22 with the award ceremony at BAFTA headquarters in London’s Piccadilly on Saturday, July 1.

Elliot is home-educated and lives in Doxford Park with his parents Paula and David and older brother Adam.

In 2019 Adam, now 22 and a computer science student, won the award himself in the 15 to 18 year-olds category for his game Wip, which he said helped him to cope with the loss of his granddad, Noel Pace, who had passed away the previous year.

BAFTA are clearly impressed with Elliot too, saying: “Go Home Edd is about a bored 10 year-old boy called Edd.

“One day, he finds himself playing in his back garden and discovers a little door in a tree and within moments he is transported to an exciting time travelling adventure solving puzzles, meeting new characters and learning about historical moments in time, before he can get home in time for tea.”

There is a definite element of local history to Elliot’s game. At the third level Edd goes back to 1896 in Sunderland at Wearmouth Colliery, where he must collect three facts about the colliery.

Elliot, a big Sunderland fan, told the Echo: “I’ve been BAFTA nominated for a game I’ve invented. It’s about a boy who’s pretty bored and his mam suggests he goes and explores the garden. He finds a door that takes him back in time.

“Players have to collect facts at each level to get home. I made it myself and it took me about three months to complete.

“I’ve been to BAFTA before. My brother was nominated twice and he won it once. At the minute it feels like I’m following in his footsteps”

“It feels weird. It takes a long time to sink in and it’s very exciting.”

Anyone who would like to play Go Home Edd and find out more for themselves, can do so via the BAFTA website.