Games for Change

This unique election year brings to light the importance of teaching students how to engage in our democracy. Games are a powerful resource to deepen students’ understanding of election processes and boost their civic engagement before they reach voting age. During Civic Learning Week, G4C's Arana Shapiro shared new ways to teach democracy beyond the classroom, while leaders introduced games designed to empower students to tackle real-world challenges and explore diverse perspectives. Carrie Ray-Hill highlighted iCivics’ nonpartisan resources and games that help middle and high school students understand elections and the power of their vote. And Anahita Dalmia with Agents of Influence/Alterea, Inc. showcased their media literacy game that motivates students to navigate misinformation and make informed choices. Check out the link in the comments to listen in on their conversation and learn more about these games!

Want to relive the excitement from #G4C2024? Check out this Digital Trends Media Group article featuring G4C Award finalists like The Plastic Pipeline by The Wilson Center and FableVision, Loddlenaut, and Tales from the Aqualab by Field Day Lab each showcasing the power of play and its ability to educate and inspire positive change. 🎮 🌍 🔗 https://lnkd.in/guYy7usb

📣 Calling all aspiring game #developers, #artists, #audio engineers, and #marketers across Africa! 📣 The 2024 GameUp Africa applications are officially OPEN! 🎉 This is your chance to kickstart your dream career in game development. I'm humbled and thrilled to see how GameUp Africa, an idea that started as a mere seed, has blossomed into a movement that has reached over 5,000 passionate individuals in just three years. 🌱✨ For our 4th edition, we're raising the bar even higher! We're expanding our curriculum to include a brand-new audio program led by industry experts, ensuring you gain the skills and knowledge you need to thrive in this exciting field. 🎧🎶 Are you ready to level up your game development skills? Don't miss this incredible opportunity to learn from the best, collaborate with talented peers, and build a portfolio of amazing games. Apply now and let's shape the future of African game development together! Visit www.gameupafrica.com to learn more and register. Share this post with anyone you know who dreams of making games a reality! #GameUpAfrica #AfricanGameDev #GameDevelopment #Training #Mentorship #CareerOpportunities

How do you conduct academic research with children about playing Plants vs. Zombies? How is the #RITEC project developing #design guidance for designers, with designers, for #children's #wellbeing in digital play? What do Scratch Foundation, the LEGO Group, and Snowbright Studio have in common, and how is it connected to the RITEC-8 framework? Three events in one week in NYC offered answers to these questions and more. New York University's CREATE lab and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop hosted an event celebrating the launch of the 2nd RITEC research report. Jan L. Plass, Bruce Homer & team presented their work with children & gaming, demoing research and analysis. Lise Borgstrøm Henriksen, Ole Kjær Thomasen, and Pia Breum Corlin shared their motivations and work bringing RITEC into their organizations, and paper airplanes' Q&A. The Games for Change Festival brought together a passionate community of gaming professionals and impact leaders, setting the stage for us at UNICEF to present the development of the RITEC Design Toolbox (launching in Fall 2024) and invite more gaming companies to join our design-feedback community. Finally, a hands-on workshop at #G4C2024 opened with Michael Preston presenting current projects that are inspired by RITEC and finding different ways to apply design for wellbeing for kids, demonstrated by Grace Collins, Nikita Khalid, and Pia Breum Corlin. 🚀 A big thank you to Susanna Pollack for inviting us to participate, and to The LEGO Foundation for its ongoing support of this work. More about RITEC here: https://lnkd.in/gSa4FfFW #unicefCRB #kidtech #UXforkids

UN Live had the great pleasure of participating in the annual Games for Change Festival 2024. 🎲   Imagine 800 people - all passionate about gaming, immersive experiences and extended reality (XR) – together for two days to discuss, develop and try new tools and games for positive, sustainable change. 🌿   The theme for the festival was “The 2030 Marker: A Catalyst for Global Change” drawing inspiration from the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and it brought together investors, leaders, thinkers, doers and developers for the gaming industry. 🎮   It was a show AND a tell festival, with a gaming arcade, where it was possible to try the latest and greatest games and immersive experiences for social change, an big Award Show, honoring some amazing games, as well as insightful sessions and discussions, which put forward trends and tendencies in the sector, and examples and insights for others to learn from.    Our CEO Katja Iversen and the UN Live board members, Kumi Naidoo, opened the second day of the festival with a plenary Fire Side Talk on “Harnessing Popular Culture for Positive Action” underscoring how gaming can play a tremendous role in shaping hearts and minds and driving change among millions of gamers. Kumi and Katja also got the opportunity to try out many of the games featured, and had creative conversations with some of the many participants about how we can work together and use games for good.   “We encourage all of you to think social impact into what you do – your game development, your industry leadership. The world is at a tipping point, and we all have a role to play in making it tip the right and positive way,” Kumi Naidoo said to the participating industry folks, investors, and game developers. 💚 Susanna Pollack Stephanie Lato   #gamesforchange #G4C #powerofpopularculture #socialimpact #gaming

It was such a pleasure and inspiration to participate in the Games for Change festival 2024. The power of games and gaming should never be underestimated - and there is so much good happening. Thanks for the insightful conversations Meriko Kawashima Susanna Pollack Lise Borgstrøm Henriksen Pia Breum Corlin Leon Wang 王立中 🦁 (ki/kin) Stephanie Lato Madeline Di Nonno Andrea Boo Xinying Anjali Bhimani Arana Shapiro Jenn Panattoni Julie Davitz Kris Severson Leanne Loombe Bruce Hack and so many more

🎮 Last month, we celebrated Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children Project (RITEC) learnings on how digital games can contribute to kids' well-being. We are delighted to share Sarah Jacobstein's highlights from an amazing week full of keynotes, panels, and workshops infused with inspiration and creativity. Special thanks to the LEGO Group, The LEGO Foundation, UNICEF, New York University Create Lab, Snowbright Studio, SCRATCH, Games for Change for sharing your insights and making these events illuminating and joyful! ✨ https://lnkd.in/euZV_6_B

The opportunity to curate the Games and Learning track for the 2024 Games for Change Festival was one of a lifetime. Thank you to Susanna Pollack and Arana Shapiro for the chance to assemble an incredible lineup of speakers at the intersection of games, education, and making meaningful change in this world! Bonus points for getting to present at the awards ceremony! It was amazing to be back with folks like Gerrard Williams and Mike Washburn (and Kelly McNeil photobombing) while meeting a ton of new folks along the way! Here's to another year of games and learning!

A few weeks ago, Quad Gods spoke at #G4C2024, and now their documentary is out on HBO Max! 📺✨ Discover the inspirational story of New Yorkers who meet in a neuro-rehabilitation lab at Mount Sinai Hospital and create the world's first all-quadriplegic Esports team. Learn more and check out the doc! 🔗 https://buff.ly/46dtPEa

Any day I get to chat with Stanley Pierre-Louis is a great day. Being able to jointly discuss the work happening across Xbox and all of the teams/game studios to support nonprofit partners as well as drive intentional inclusion? DOUBLE win. 😊