Ben Starr on advocating for the industry: ‘I want it to be cool to like games’

Balatro, despite being made by a single developer, ended up being one of last year’s most talked about games, and deservedly so.

If you haven’t yet tried this poker-themed roguelike deckbuilder, I highly urge you to regardless of whether you have any idea how to play poker or not. It’ll rapidly lure you in and by the time you tear yourself away, you won’t even have realised that four hours have passed. Or more. I won’t limit your Balatro time.

Indie dev LocalThunk is the individual behind the title and fair to say, I don’t think they expected Balatro to welcome so much critical and commercial success. At last week’s BAFTA Games Awards, Balatro took home the trophy for ‘Debut Game’ but LucalThunk continued the masking of their identity. Instead of attending the awards show, although I suppose they could’ve been there and we’d have been none the wiser, LocalThunk sent actor Ben Starr in their stead.

Astro Bot won the night's top honour of 'Best Game'.

Ben Starr, a real champion of the video games industry, turned up on the carpet dressed as Balatro’s Jimbo - the talking joker who introduces the game - reprising his role from the game’s marketing materials. I had the opportunity to catch up with Ben who before I knew it, stood before me in full clown make-up, wearing a jester’s hat whilst holding a bunch of bananas.

It would have been rude not to ask about his incredible look.

“It’s inspired by the hit video game Balatro,” an in-character Jimbo told me, “which I’m representing tonight.”

I asked Jimbo if Balatro was his game of the year then: “Yes, contractually, it is, yes.”

“I think this has been an incredible year for video games,” Ben said breaking character. “But I think there's kind of a testament to what this game is that it's captured so many people's imaginations, which is why I feel free enough to come to the BAFTAs dressed like an idiot.”

Of course, I reminded Ben he looked fantastic in his Jimbo get-up.

“Thank you,” he replied.

The past couple of years have been immense for Ben. Fair to say, his 2023 turn as Final Fantasy XVI’s Clive Rosfield changed his life, and I was keen to find out what the last 12 months have looked like for the actor.

“Absolutely mad,” he told me. “I feel like I've really only been a part of this industry for a couple of years, and you said it was kind of a life changing year and it kind of continues to be. I love the fact that video games offer so many opportunities for performers to do stuff, not just in those games, but outside them and kind of be spokespersons with a real focus on the joy and energy for those games.”

“It's really cool that I didn't make that video game [Final Fantasy XVI], but I still get to be a cool part of it and it's been amazing to see fans rally around kind of the idiocy of whatever it is that I'm doing right now.”

It’s apt that Ben mentioned being a spokesperson because it does feel as if he’s been adopted as an advocate of the industry.

“I love it,” he began. “I've been playing video games pretty much my entire life and I think people want a reason to be excited about games, and if I can offer this or if I can be a little vector of joy for people, then why not? I want it to be cool to like games.”

Perfectly said.