Team17 founder Debbie Bestwick made MBE Published duration 11 June 2016

image copyright Team17 image caption Team17 developed the game Worms which continues to be a big hit after the first version was released in the 1990s

An award winning video games pioneer has been made an MBE.

Debbie Bestwick was recognised for her services to the computer games industry after a career which started in Nottingham almost 30 years ago.

She is the founder and owner of label Team17, based in Mansfield and Wakefield, responsible for more than 70 games over the past 25 years.

Its titles have included Worms, The Escapists and the soon to be released Yooka-Laylee.

image copyright Team17 image caption Debbie Bestwick founded Team17 in 1990 and has offices in Wakefield and Nottinghamshire

Ms Bestwick, who lives in Nottinghamshire, said: "I played my first game when I was 12-years-old. It's such an engaging form of entertainment. Cinema and reading books are passive whereas playing a game is interactive.

image copyright Team17 image caption The original Worms was released in 1995 and is still popular today

image copyright Team17

image copyright Team17 image caption Team17 published The Escapists which was designed by an ex-roofer from Derby

"It's a fantastic honour to be made an MBE. I keep thinking 'I'm just doing my job!'

"Also being a woman in this industry - I'm one of the only female owners of a business in the games industry."

image copyright Team17 image caption Way to the Woods is an unusual third person game, where the player takes control of a deer.

image copyright Team17 image caption Worms WMD is a reboot of the classic Worms

As well as making its own games, like 90s classic Worms, Team17 works with independent developers.

image copyright Team17 image caption Beyond Eyes shows how a blind 10-year-old girl named Rae, interacts with the world around her

Hits have included The Escapists - designed by an ex-roofer from Derby - and Beyond Eyes, a game about a blind girl.

Its latest title, Yooka-Laylee is being officially unveiled at the E3 conference in Las Vegas and is described as a successor to Banjo-Kazooie.

image copyright Team17

image copyright Team17 image caption The latest titles to come from Team17 include Overcooked (above) and Yooka-Laylee

Related Topics Gaming

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