I have some super fun news to share with everyone! A while ago, Robby (who is part of the BGA committee, and who some of you might know as BloodyGoodReviews) asked me a very exciting question: hey crazy question, do you want to be part of the jury for this years’ Belgian Game Awards? My initial response was that it certainly seemed great but oh my, do I have stress to talk in front of people. Luckily, no public speaking is required so I was totally in because wow, what an honor!
Belgian Game Awards
For those of you who are not familiar with the Belgian Game Awards (BGA), let me tell you about them first! As you can probably tell by the name, this is an award show for Belgian games. But there is more: it’s not just about games, it’s also about looking at e-sports and developers in Belgium.
Usually, the BGA’s take place at 1UP (a Belgian gaming conference and expo), but due to this ongoing pandemic, 1UP didn’t take place this year. Luckily, the BGA’s are still continuing on October 1st 2021.
This year, there are no less than 14 categories! For 9 of these, Belgian devs can submit their game or studio:
- Mobile Game of the Year
- PC/Console Game of the Year
- AR/VR Game of the Year
- Best Non Entertainment
- Debut Game of the Year
- Most Anticipated Game of the Year
- Student Game of the Year
- Best Studio
- Most Promising Startup Studio
If you’re still interested in submitting your application, this is possible before May 19th, so be quick! You can do so here. Good luck!
The other categories include the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Audience Award, and several e-sports categories (eSports Event of the Year, eSports Pro Player of the Year and eSports Rookie Player of the Year).
The jury, including me and six other members, will decide who takes home the gaming awards, while the public decides for the e-sports categories. The Lifetime Achievement Award will also be chosen by the jury, and of course, the Audience Award is up to the public. If you want to help decide the fate of some of these categories, you can vote until August 18th!
Who dis?
I’m aware I’m not a big name in the Belgian gaming industry at all, and I’m very grateful that the BGA committee has given me the opportunity to take part in this years’ BGA’s. For those of you that don’t know me, let me tell you a little more about myself.
When I was little, I actually wasn’t a big gamer. I played Runescape on my dad’s computer, and I also enjoyed playing Pokémon, Rayman, and other titles on my Gameboy. However, I was never a big gaming geek or anything. I actually got into gaming when I was much older. I think I must have been around 17 or 18 when I started playing games like Skyrim and Counter Strike: Global Offense, and discovered that I really enjoyed gaming. Later, I found out that I could combine this with another passion of mine: writing. In 2018, I joined a Belgian gaming website and started writing PC game reviews there for about a year.
LifeisXbox
In March of 2019, I approached Dae Jim, who you, of course, know as the founder and editor-in-chief of Belgian gaming website LifeisXbox. This is a gaming website that focuses on providing (p)reviews for all types of games; ranging from big titles to the smallest indie ones. I honestly think it’s amazing to see the variety in games that you can find on LifeisXbox, and that’s just one of the reasons why this particular website caught my attention. LifeisXbox also has a Belgian Corner dedicated on the website where you can find all things Belgium-related being published on the website.
I asked Dae Jim if he ever considered starting a PC branch for his Xbox-focused website, and luckily, this was something that he was already thinking about! He gave me the opportunity to help him create a PC corner on his website, and I’ve been with LifeisXbox ever since. Right now, we have a PC team of 5 members, and we’ve expanded to writing Nintendo Switch reviews as well. It’s all very exciting, and to this day I’m very thankful to Dae Jim for the chances he has given me. I’ve made it to PC editor-in-chief and gaming journalist, handling my own PR.
Thanks to writing for LifeisXbox, I’ve learned quite a lot about the gaming industry. I’ve also had the chance to get familiar with all kinds of (new) games that I may not have come upon if I didn’t write there. For example, I got to test out Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, and Cozy Grove, two games that I ended up absolutely ADORING! Plus, a bonus, I got to know a bunch of wonderful people, and even made an arch enemy (big hug for you Alexis) while writing here.
But in all seriousness: I’m just super happy with everything LifeisXbox has brought me: the games, the people, and now being able to take part in the jury for the BGA’s! I hope my reviews have helped some people along the way, just like writing and gaming has helped me :).
Head of PC team. PC, Switch, and Xbox game reviewer. Also a marketeer, concert and animal lover, and photographer in training 🙂
Steam: Mauitje
Xbox: Mauitjexo
