Transforming BAFTA View for Games and Television Judging
In 2021, I delivered BAFTA View, a transformative VOD platform exclusively used by BAFTA members to review content entered into the BAFTA Awards. Initially launched for the Film Awards, BAFTA View was designed to replace outdated DVD screeners with a content-rich, secure, and user-friendly streaming solution. Built as a new product, BAFTA View was seamlessly connected via APIs to existing BAFTA architecture, including Nucleus (the awards administration system), Salesforce, and the Voting Site. This represented a significant step forward in modernising the awards process and enhancing accessibility for members.
Following the success of its launch, one of the key development aims in 2022 was to expand the platform to support BAFTA’s Games, Television, and Television Craft Awards. Each category presented unique challenges, from distributing game codes to handling larger metadata sets and assets required for judging processes. The previous system was no longer capable of meeting these demands, making this update essential.
This article explores how BAFTA View evolved to accommodate these additional workflows, demonstrating the platform’s flexibility and its ability to adapt to the unique needs of BAFTA’s diverse awards categories. If you’re interested in its origins, you can read more in the earlier article: BAFTA View a Modern VOD Solution for Awards Viewing.
The Process
The key aim of this project was to support more content types and awards workflows within the existing system architecture without requiring an extensive rewrite of the code. This was achievable due to early pre-planning during the initial development phases. While the designs originally focused on the Film Awards, I reviewed workflows for the Television and Games Awards to assess how easily they could be supported. This exercise revealed several key gaps in the designs that needed to be addressed. Examples include:
The first step was to return to stakeholders, gather additional requirements, and present these to the designers for future implementation. A challenge here was that the core design had already been signed off due to tight development timelines, so it was critical that any changes made did not impact the platform’s core architecture.
While the designers worked on integrating new features into the existing designs, I broke down the requirements for each award and listed them in a grid to determine crossover points. From this grid, it became clear that the requirements could be grouped into five component categories, which were then translated into controls that admin users could switch on or off for each award:
These controls allowed us to define unique parameters for each award. For example, if an award was set to “has category page,” it would trigger additional options and functionality. These settings were managed directly in the Voting Site against each award, giving admins full control over how BAFTA View was configured without the need to build a separate mapping control page. This approach reduced costs and development time while enabling the controls to be expanded or additional ones added in the future.
Once it was confirmed that the API could support these controls and the updated designs could apply across all award types, the focus shifted to implementing the features in the front end for users.
With foundational changes introduced for BAFTA’s Television Awards, the next step was to tackle the unique challenges of the Games Awards, which I’ll cover in the following section.
The Games Awards
The Games Awards are unique within BAFTA, as judging involves playing the games rather than watching video content. While video content is supplied as supporting material, the primary focus is on written statements, images, and documents provided by entrants to support their submissions. The key component for these awards is the distribution of game codes to members, along with highlighting bundles where the games are available for review. This presented a unique challenge for a VOD platform, as BAFTA View effectively had to function as a service without a primary video component—a significant departure from its original design for film and television judging.
One of the biggest hurdles was attracting members to log into the platform when the core asset being judged—the game—existed outside of BAFTA View’s ecosystem. This required the Awards team to think beyond traditional VOD workflows and leverage the platform to provide additional value. They accomplished this by delivering a wealth of supplementary content that acted as a companion to the games. Using features like notes, filters, and “mark as played,” members could track their progress and manage the large volume of entries effectively. The visually rich assets submitted by entrants further enhanced the experience, making BAFTA View not only functional but also visually engaging. By combining these elements, BAFTA View encouraged members to return frequently and remain actively engaged with the judging process.
Differences in Games UI
Adapting BAFTA View for the Games Awards required significant updates to its user interface to address the specific needs of this category. Unlike Film or Television entries, games presented unique challenges, particularly with terminology, code distribution, and asset bundling.
Terminology Adjustments
A core feature of BAFTA View is the ability for members to mark entries as reviewed. This feeds into filters, allowing members to sort entries by those they have or haven’t reviewed. While “Watched” was the logical term for films, it didn’t fit games, where the action is “Played.” After careful deliberation, “Played” was implemented as the preferred term for games. This terminology update was dynamically tied to the “Has video” setting—if video was disabled for an award, all associated terms across the platform updated automatically. This ensured consistency in the user experience, while maintaining clarity for members.
Game Codes and Bundles
Distributing game codes to members added another layer of complexity. In Nucleus, BAFTA’s awards management system, entrants can provide codes for members to claim and play as part of the judging process. Since games can exist across multiple platforms and regions, entrants could submit multiple sets of codes, such as:
To ensure fairness and avoid confusion, once a member claimed a code for a specific platform, the remaining options for that platform were locked to prevent duplicate claims. Some games, particularly those available on Steam, were grouped into bundles, allowing members to claim a single code for multiple games. The UI needed to reflect these differences in a way that was both clear and visually intuitive. A dedicated “Bundle” section was created alongside individual game codes, ensuring all entries were displayed with equal clarity and consistency.
Engagement and Feedback
The enhancements to the Games Awards workflows transformed BAFTA View into more than just a viewing platform, creating an essential tool for engaging members in the judging process. The updates were well-received by members, who noted how the changes streamlined their experience and simplified the process of reviewing entries. Testimonials highlighted the impact of these changes:
“The new BAFTA View has been streamlined into a system that makes accessing content simple and intuitive. Being able to filter by dates, game systems, and categories is perfect for what I needed when assessing games.” – BAFTA Member
“BAFTA View has a modern design that collates all the information related to each title, which makes it much easier to track and record my impressions on entered games.” – BAFTA Member
“The revised BAFTA View is not only visually appealing but also provides practical features that help track the status of entries. I particularly appreciate the ability to add games played alongside annotated notes—previously, I had to cross-reference a separate spreadsheet. Now this is conveniently all in one place!” – BAFTA Member
The updates made BAFTA View a more versatile and inclusive platform, addressing the unique requirements of Games Awards judging while continuing to uphold its core mission of showcasing creative excellence across all categories.
Conclusion
By 2022, BAFTA View expanded further with the launch of a Firestick app, making the platform even more accessible and convenient for members. This milestone represented another significant step forward in ensuring BAFTA View served the diverse needs of its users. While I transitioned to focus on BAFTA’s Events portfolio, the platform has continued to evolve under the care of the in-house development team, demonstrating their dedication to ongoing innovation.
Since 2022, all BAFTA judging has taken place exclusively within BAFTA View. This shift has been a remarkable technical achievement for a small, dedicated team, highlighting the platform's scalability and adaptability. I remain immensely proud of the work we delivered during my time on the project, as BAFTA View has grown into a modern, scalable solution that has transformed the awards viewing experience for members.
Today, BAFTA View continues to fulfil its mission of showcasing the creative work of Games, Films, and Television Programmes in their best light. The platform offers a streamlined, engaging, and efficient judging process, ensuring that each entry is presented with the quality and attention it deserves. It has been incredibly rewarding to see the platform thrive, and it remains an essential tool in BAFTA’s mission to celebrate and honour excellence across the creative industries.
As I reflect on BAFTA View’s journey, I am reminded of the importance of thoughtful planning, user-focused design, and collaboration in delivering a product that continues to grow and serve its purpose long after its initial launch. The platform’s success is a testament to the hard work and vision of everyone involved, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve in the future.