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Louise Blain reflects on this week’s 2021 Bafta Gaming Awards, talking with the nominees and featuring the music - considering them as a possible litmus test on the shape of gaming in the 2020s.

Music featured in the programme is taken from the nominees for the Best Gaming Music category, which are: GHOST OF TSUSHIMA by Ilan Eshkeri, Shigeru Umebayashi, Peter Scaturro; HADES by Darren Korb; THE LAST OF US PART II by Gustavo Santaolalla, Mac Quayle, Scott Hanau; MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES by John Paesano, Scott Hanau, Alex Hackford; ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS by Gareth Coker; and SACKBOY: A BIG ADVENTURE by Jay Waters, Joe Thwaites, Joanna Skorupa.

Nominees for the Game of the Year include ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS which has proved such a hit during a year of lockdown.

Louise looks at these, and more, listing the winners.

In Louise’s words:

"Gaming was such a lifeline for so many people over 2020 and the 2021 British Academy Games Awards nominations reflect that. I don't think many of us would feel quite as connected to friends if we hadn't spent months fishing together in Animal Crossing: New Horizons or sharing the emotional web of The Last of Us Part 2. Vitally, 2020's games are a clear indicator of the diversity possible in this industry. I can't wait to explore the incredible scores nominated in the Best Gaming Music category. From the heroic joy of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales to the indie sword-spinning action of Hades, these are soundtracks to define a year like no other."