ALT Hello everyone. I’m Meghna Jayanth, I’ve worked as a narrative designer for over a decade now on games like 80 Days, Sable, and Thirsty Suitors - which launched just last week. We make games to dream with our players - we invite them into our fantastical worlds when they need a refuge from the real, we let people step into other lives, other realities. This year’s shortlist demonstrates the capacity video games have to tell stories that are strange, thrilling, engaging - but most importantly, human. We’re here to celebrate video games - but we are all also human beings who live in the world, and it’s impossible to ignore that while we celebrate here a genocide is taking place in Palestine, supported by our government. In the spirit of our shared humanity, I ask everyone here tonight to join me in calling for a ceasefire now. Not in our name. Every game is an act of love, to players we might never meet. I couldn’t be prouder to introduce the nominees for Best Storytelling.