On the Red Carpet with Eurogamer at the BAFTA Games Awards
It's Dior die out there.
Didn't you realise video games were an important entertainment medium nowadays? No, they really are. That's why the BAFTA Games Awards exist, and the event glistens with every bit as much glamour as the film and television awards.
Well, that's the thinking. And that's why Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson and me, Bertie, took to the Red Carpet at the BAFTA Games Awards earlier this week to snatch a chat with gaming and wider-world celebrities as they glided in.
Her from the telly, him from the telly, her from games, him from 'he's only the lead actor in The Walking Dead games'. Who's wearing who? Oh my god she said what?! Gabe, GABE, GABE!!
It's the BAFTA Red Carpet (err in a car park).
After the Red Carpet it was up to the press room to wait for the winners to be announced. Then, BAFTA trophies in hand, the winners filtered into our press lounge for another assault.
I cornered Telltale Games (The Walking Dead) boss Dan Connors; comedian Ed Byrne; UK video game and Fighting Fantasy legend Ian Livingstone; and XCOM lead designer Jake Solomon, who was all praise for publisher 2K for taking a risk on his game.
Best British Game winner Fireproof Games - an outsourcing company by day - was chuffed to bits. The plan is to keep expanding The Room before going on to make a sequel. Dishonored maker Arkane Studios had expected something more along the lines of Best Game Design rather than Best Game, so that was a turn up for the books.
Ian Dallas, maker of The Unfinished Swan, was "blown away" to receive two awards on the night. It's on to a new idea for the team now, he said, because trying to extend that Unfinished Swan experience would just "dilute" the idea.
Then it was time for Boris Becker, obviously - the colourful tennis past master. "I just arrived from Cuba yesterday evening," he told me. "I like cigars; they have the biggest cigar festival over the weekend and I was a guest of honour. I'm not a fan of the long cigars, the quality has to be good. My favourite is Cohiba Behike if that tells you anything. It's a nice smoke if you like cigars."
Sage advice. But how about a Boris Becker tennis video game? "Absolutely!" he beamed. "I have lots of creativity, I have history - people know me. Let's surprise the gaming world." Would he allow his old tennis rival John McEnroe to be in the game? "Why not? We are two fiery characters."
Not one to be outdone, my partner in crime Ellie Gibson pounced on her old pal Jonathan Ross for a chat. The chat show host and comedian presented Gabe Newell with the BAFTA Fellowship Award on the night.
Jonathan Ross said Gabe Newell had offered him a sage piece of wisdom that night about not rushing video games. "Late is for a little while," Newell apparently said, "terrible is for life."
