The twenty second annual Video games for Change Competition will happen June 26 and June 27 in New York below the theme “Designing for Tomorrow.”
The occasion will happen on the Parsons Faculty of Design in New York Metropolis and the group put out a name this week for audio system and awards by means of February 5.
For over 20 years, the G4C Competition has been the premier world occasion for bringing collectively recreation builders, creators, educators, and social innovators who consider within the energy of video games and immersive media to drive real-world change.
Underneath the theme “Designing for Tomorrow,” the competition will discover how video games and immersive media can foster collaboration throughout generations, views, and sectors. Throughout the two-day Competition, attendees will have interaction in keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking alternatives centered round three main tracks: Video games & Studying, Civics & Social Points, and Well being & Wellbeing. XR programming might be built-in all through all tracks.
New this yr, G4C will host a grasp class collection on June 25, the place trade leaders and recreation design consultants will lead in-depth studying periods. Members can have the chance to study from high-profile gaming professionals as they share their experience on matters like in-platform recreation improvement, the ability of play and design, and securing funding. These are rigorously curated periods tailor-made for the G4C group.
The Video games for Change Awards ceremony on June 26, a cornerstone of the Competition, will have a good time excellence in social influence video games and immersive media. Classes embody Most Vital Impression, Finest in Innovation, and Finest Narrative, amongst others. This yr, the Awards ceremony introduces a brand new class, “Finest Platform-Primarily based Mission,” recognizing impactful video games and immersive experiences created inside established gaming platforms (comparable to Minecraft, Roblox, or Fortnite Artistic) that leverage built-in instruments and communities to drive significant social influence.
“For 22 years, the Video games for Change Competition has been a gathering floor for cross-sector innovation in video games and immersive media,” mentioned Susanna Pollack, president of Video games for Change, in an announcement. “As our trade continues to evolve, we’re increasing our programming to satisfy the second. Our new Masterclass collection and enhanced awards program replicate the expansion and pleasure of our sector. We’re thrilled to return to Parsons, the place we will construct on this momentum and foster the following wave of collaboration and innovation.”
Pollack was the emcee at our latest GamesBeat Insider Sequence: Hollywood and Video games occasion in December, and she or he is a frequent speaker at occasions on how video games can accomplish a lot social good past leisure.
Speaker and Award submissions are open till February 5, 2025. For extra info, go to competition.gamesforchange.org.
The earlier twenty first annual competition in New York explored “The 2030 Marker: A Catalyst for World Change,” bringing collectively over 150 audio system from 12 international locations. The occasion united 2,300 in-person and digital attendees for 65 talks and workshops. Past New York, our chapter festivals in Africa, Asia, India, Türkiye, and Latin America expanded its world influence, connecting changemakers throughout continents.
The group additionally hosted the 2nd Annual Video games & SDG Summit on the UN, bringing collectively 180 leaders to forge new partnerships and drive actionable options.
Video games for Change additionally added new board members: Benjamin Golant: senior director for world recreation Coverage at Tencent Americas; Samir El Agili: chairman at Tilting Level; and Mark Stanley: founding father of Strategic Gaming Collective, advisor for Taking part in for the Planet, and advocate for utilizing video games to handle world challenges.
Final yr, Video games for Change’s influence report mentioned it had 21 festivals, 86 G4C award winners, 5 world G4C chapters, 22 world chapter occasions, 58,000 college students reached and 75% college students in Title I faculties.