By Mabel Pais

About Games for Change

Since 2004,Games for Change(G4C) has been empowering game creators and innovators to drive real-world change, using games that help people to learn, improve their communities, and contribute to make the world a better place. G4C partners with technology and gaming companies as well as nonprofits, foundations and government agencies, to run world class events, public arcades, design challenges and youth programs. G4C supports a global community of game developers working to use games to tackle real-world challenges, from humanitarian conflicts to climate change and education.

About Parsons School of Design

Parsons School of Design is one of the world’s leading institutions for art and design education. Based in New York but active around the world, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the full spectrum of art and design disciplines. Critical thinking and collaboration are at the heart of a Parsons education. Parsons graduates are leaders in their fields, with a shared commitment to creatively and critically addressing the complexities of life in the 21st century.www.newschool.edu/parsons/

 “For 15 years, Games for Changehas encouraged the top minds in tech to develop digital games that can bring about positive social change”– Mayor de Blasio

 “Life is Strange: Before the Storm” Wins Big at Games for Change Awards Ceremony with Two Honors, Including Game of the Year;

 The Games for Change (G4C) Festival for the 15^thyear had its three day-long programming, June 28-30, 2018, at the Parsons School of Design, at the New School University, New York, with a special proclamation from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, declaring June 28 as “Games for Change Day.”  It was enthusiastically attended each day by at least 300 guests.

By exploring the challenges faced by refugees, LGBTQ youth, children with autism, people suffering from mental illness, and much more, the games and presentations featured at the Games for Change festival over the last fifteen years have promoted equality, understanding, and inclusivity by giving players the opportunity to experience reality from a different point of view.

 “For 15 years, Games for Changehas encouraged the top minds in tech to develop digital games that can bring about positive social change,” said Mayor de Blasio in the Proclamation. “I am proud to join with all those gathered here to applaud G4C, all of this year’s award winners, and everyone participating in the festival for their commitment to forging a better tomorrow for us all.”

Day 1 of the Festival also featured the Games for ChangeAwards ceremony, which honored games in the following categories: Best Gameplay, Most Innovative, Most Significant Impact and Best Learning Game, and Game of the Year. The winners announced were:

• BEST GAMEPLAY (Honoring the games with highly compelling and engaging gameplay whose game mechanics align with and reinforce impact goals.)

WINNER: What Remains of Edith Finch(Developed byGiant Sparrow)

What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington State. As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she’s the last one in her family left alive.

• MOST INNOVATIVE (Honoring the games that demonstrate creativity and aspire to bring new ideas through unique game design, technology and/or audiences. These games embrace experimentation to break conventions of form or concept in a manner that may pave new ways for the sector.)

WINNER: Tree(Developed byNew Reality Company)

Tree transforms you into a majestic rainforest tree. With your arms as branches and body as a trunk, you’ll experience the tree’s life from a seedling to its fullest form and witness its fate firsthand. 

• MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (Honoring the games that target a specific social issue with proven actions/outcomes like awareness, civic learning, community building, or behavior change.)

WINNER:Life is Strange: Before the Storm(Developed byDeck Nine Games)

• BEST LEARNING GAME [Honoring the games that offer meaningful engagement around intended learning objectives with measurable outcomes. Examples of types of learning include cognitive skills (academic subjects, memory), social/emotional skills (empathy, bullying), physical health (movement, nutrition), and creative well-being.]

WINNER: Attentat 1942(Developed byCharles University, Czech Academy of Sciences)

Attentat 1942 is a unique game that tells the story of Nazi occupation from the perspective of those who experienced it firsthand. The game is built on dialogues with survivors, interactive comics, and authentic historical footage. Speak to eyewitnesses, live their memories, and discover the untold story of your family.

• GAME OF THE YEAR (Honoring the exemplary game that achieves all three dimensions: impact, innovation and gameplay)

WINNER:Life is Strange: Before the Storm(Developed byDeck Nine Games)

Life is Strange: Before the Storm features Chloe Price, a 16 year-old rebel who forms an unlikely friendship with Rachel Amber, a popular girl destined for success. When Rachel’s world is turned upside down by a family secret they give each other the strength to overcome their demons.

• THE GAMES FOR CHANGE x POLYGON PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

WINNER:Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice(Developed byNinja Theory)

Set in the Viking age, a broken Celtic warrior embarks on a haunting vision quest into Viking Hell to fight for the soul of her dead lover. Created in collaboration with neuroscientists and people who experience psychosis, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will pull you deep into Senua’s mind.

Katie Salen (University of California, Irvine; Chief Designer and co-founder of Connected Camps and founding Executive Director of Institute of Play) who gave a keynote presentation that explored a play-based approach to raising socially and emotionally aware gamers, was presented with the Games for Change Vanguard Awardfor her commitment to games with social impact.

This year, Games for Change launched a CharityBuzz campaign, with bidding lots that include: Lunch with Dr. Adam Gazzaleyand a tour of the Neuroscape Lab in San Francisco; Meet with speaker Prof. Aorangi Popovicand Visit the Center for Game Science in Seattle; Meet speaker Dan Ayoub, Tour & Private Demo at the Microsoft Holocene Lab; Meet Maxime Durand, Chief Historian of Assassin’s Creed & Tour the Ubisoft HQ in Montreal; VIP Tour of Ubisoft in San Francisco, Lunch, Guitar Lesson and Hotel & Airfare. The campaign is open until Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 3:00 PM EST.

Festival attendees were treated to a slate of presentations by industry leaders in the Festival’s three focused tracks: Neurograming & Health, Civics & Social Issues and Games for Learning. The keynote speakers included, Rajesh Anandan(Senior Vice President UNICEF Ventures, UNICEF USA), Adam Bellow(Co-Founder, Breakout EDU), Robert Torres, (Chief Strategy Officer, Teach the World Foundation), Katie Salen, (2018 Games for Change Vanguard Award recipient), Maxime Durand (Franchise Historian for Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft Montreal), Marc-Andre Ethier(Professor, Universite de Montreal), and Kate Edwards(CEO & Principal Consultant, Geogrify.)

The G4C Festival continued on Friday, June 29 and on Saturday, June 30 with the XR for Change Summit.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)