The celebrated comedian returns to host this year’s BAFTA Games Awards for the second time. We had a chat about his gaming history and what the responsibility means to him.
Forget Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards. The BAFTA Games Awards is set to return later this April, with comedian Phil Wang back in the hosting seat after his standout performance ribbing the industry last year. But with a new year comes a whole new set of video games to celebrate, including such 2024 heavy-hitters as Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and more all up for the award of Best Game at the show.
To learn more about Phil Wang’s thoughts on returning as host, his current video game diet, and the way comedy and games can successfully collide, we sat down with the much beloved comedian to hear his thoughts on what to expect from this year’s BAFTA Games Awards ceremony.
Firstly, what games are you most enjoying right now?
Right now? I loved Astro Bot. I thought that was super fun. I loved Thank Goodness You’re Here because it’s hilarious. I just started Animal Well, and that’s really interesting and mysterious. I also really liked Still Wakes the Deep, which is set on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. That was really cool; really unique. It’s a real broad range of stuff.
So you’re a big indie gamer then?
Well, as I’ve gotten older, it seems like there’s just less and less time, and indie games are shorter. You get to load up on loads of different ideas and still have time to do the dishes.
As a comedian, is comedy in games something you tend take note of?
Because I live in comedy all the time, games are actually a break from that. I’m not necessarily looking for comedy games, but when it is done well it’s really amazing. Thank Goodness You’re Here is so funny. I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud [at a game] that much, since maybe Portal? That’s the only other one that comes to mind in terms of being funny. Even Portal, the humour feels of a time, whereas Thank Goodness You’re Here feels unashamedly silly, British, and specifically Northern English. There’s just something so brazen about it, which itself is funny.
Have you ever been asked to star in a video game at all? Is that something that’s ever been a possibility?
I was in an indie game called Eliza. It was about therapy, and I played one of the patients, but I wouldn’t say I was starring in it. I helped someone out with a little demo they were making with a voice on that, but nothing big.
Is there a big, AAA franchise you’d love to have a part in?
I’d love to be a pedestrian in GTA 6 or GTA 7 and be like, ‘Hey, watch it!’. I’d love to do that maybe. ‘Asshole!'.
Moving onto the BAFTA Game Awards themselves, how easy was it to say yes to hosting for a second time?
There’s a lot of pressure on me to open with a big musical number. All the tabloids are saying it. I’ll think of something for the opening… but the jokes worked well last year. When I was asked to do it again, it wasn’t even a question. I said, ‘yes, let’s do it again’. I had such a nice experience last year.
When writing and researching jokes, how important is it to be aware of current industry goings on?
It’s always hard to get the balance right, because you want to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, but gamers can very easily feel patronised. Myself included! A lot of times when you see jokes about games on something it’s normally lowest common denominator stuff or references like Mario and, well, just Mario really. I think as long as you stay away from that and make it clear you know what you’re talking about and talk about things gamers care about, then it’s fine.
In terms of last year’s awards ceremony, was there a moment that stood out to you?
Of the winners last year, the one that really stood out to me is Borislav Slavov, who was the composer for Baldur’s Gate 3. He won for Best Music and he was so moved, he was weeping tears of joy. He could barely get through his speech he was so happy and just so honoured. It was clear that he hadn’t felt that music in games was appreciated as much as they should be and the BAFTA Games Awards were finally doing that, and doing that for him. Clearly, he put so much work into Baldur’s Gate 3, this massive game, that you could just see all that energy flow out of him. That relief and joy flow out of him as he accepted the award.
I think that no matter what industry it is, no matter what medium it is, people talk about awards as, ‘they’re silly, they’re not really real. They’re just a way for the industry to pat itself on the back’. But then you watch Borislav Slavov receive his award and realise this is real and that it means a lot to people. It is the only way to acknowledge what people have achieved.
Finally, you’re someone who’s been gaming for a long time. What would you say is the greatest video game console of all time? Let’s say you’re trapped on a desert island…
Technically the PS5 is just such an amazing piece of kit, but the years of the PlayStation 2 were so formative for so many of my generation. All the games I played on that… the ridges of the console. A lot of sand is going get into those grooves. But it was just so iconic, and I’d be able to relive all my teenage years out on the veranda in Malaysia hoping that the thing would start, and I wouldn’t get the red squares. [The PS2] also has very sharp corners, so it’d be good for hunting as well when taking down wild boar, so I’d have to pick the PS2.
Phil Wang is set to host the 21st BAFTA Games Awards on April 8, 2025.
