The twenty second annual Video games for Change Pageant will happen June 26 and June 27 in New York underneath 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 via February 5.
For over 20 years, the G4C Pageant has been the premier world occasion for bringing collectively sport builders, creators, educators, and social innovators who consider within the energy of video games and immersive media to drive real-world change.
Below the theme “Designing for Tomorrow,” the pageant will discover how video games and immersive media can foster collaboration throughout generations, views, and sectors. Through the two-day Pageant, attendees will interact in keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking alternatives centered round three major tracks: Video games & Studying, Civics & Social Points, and Well being & Wellbeing. XR programming can 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 sport design consultants will lead in-depth studying classes. Individuals can have the chance to be taught from high-profile gaming professionals as they share their experience on subjects like in-platform sport improvement, the ability of play and design, and securing funding. These are rigorously curated classes tailor-made for the G4C neighborhood.
The Video games for Change Awards ceremony on June 26, a cornerstone of the Pageant, will have a good time excellence in social influence video games and immersive media. Classes embody Most Important Affect, Finest in Innovation, and Finest Narrative, amongst others. This yr, the Awards ceremony introduces a brand new class, “Best Platform-Based Project,” recognizing impactful video games and immersive experiences created inside established gaming platforms (akin to Minecraft, Roblox, or Fortnite Inventive) that leverage built-in instruments and communities to drive significant social influence.
“For 22 years, the Games for Change Festival has been a meeting ground for cross-sector innovation in games and immersive media,” stated Susanna Pollack, president of Video games for Change, in a press release. “As our industry continues to evolve, we’re expanding our programming to meet the moment. Our new Masterclass series and enhanced awards program reflect the growth and excitement of our sector. We’re thrilled to return to Parsons, where we can build on this momentum and foster the next wave of collaboration and innovation.”
Pollack was the emcee at our current 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 pageant.gamesforchange.org.
The earlier twenty first annual pageant in New York explored “The 2030 Marker: A Catalyst for Global Change,” bringing collectively over 150 audio system from 12 nations. 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 sport 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 deal with world challenges.
Final yr, Video games for Change’s influence report stated 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 colleges.