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G4C Features...
Apply to the Cooney Center Prizes for Innovation in Children’s Learning
Posted by Mark Smith on 02-03-10
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop is accepting applications for the inaugural Cooney Center Prizes for Innovation in Children’s Learning, a national competition intended identify, inspire, nurture, and scale breakthrough ideas in children’s digital media and learning. The program will annually award cash prizes and provide ongoing business planning support to innovators in children’s educational media.
The Cooney Center is challenging innovators in two categories: Breakthroughs in Mobile Learning and Breakthroughs in Literacy Learning. Up to five finalists in each category will be invited to pitch their ideas to media industry and education leaders at an event held at this year’s E3 Expo. This year’s prizes include $50,000 towards prototype development in the Mobile Learning category and $10,000 and the opportunity to…
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Will Wright Discussion at NYU February 17th
Posted by phoebe on 01-26-10
Games for change is proud to be sponsoring with the Games for Learning institute a discussion featuring Video game pioneer Will Wright, the creator of “SimCity” and “Spore,” will lead “Why Games are (Good) for Learning,” a discussion on how digital games encourage learning, on Wednesday, February 17, 6 – 7 p.m. at the Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University, 566 LaGuardia Place (at Washington Square South).
The event, presented by the Games for Learning Institute (G4LI), is free and open to the public, but a ticket is required for entry. To obtain tickets, go to http://skirballcenter.nyu.edu/calendar/games or email info@g4li.org. For more information, call 212.998.3342. The event is co-sponsored by the NYU Game Center, Games for Change, and Microsoft Research.
Wright, awarded the PC…
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Games for Change needs your help!
Posted by Mark Smith on 12-30-09
Games for Change (G4C) is a 501c3 which seeks to harness the extraordinary power of video games to address the most pressing issues of our day, including poverty, education, human rights, global conflict and climate change. G4C acts as a voice for the transformative power of games, bringing together organizations and individuals from the nonprofit sector, government, journalism, academia, industry and the arts, to grow the field and provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and resources. Through this work, Games for Change promotes new kinds of games that engage contemporary social issues in meaningful ways to foster a more just, equitable and tolerant society.
Games for Change is the primary community of practice and international nexus for this emerging sector, with…
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Games for Change at the White House today!
Posted by Mark Smith on 12-23-09
Games for Change is pleased and honored to announce our support and participation in the White House STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) initiative announced today by President Obama. In collaboration with our partners E Line Media and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Games for Change is part of a major public-private partnership to launch a series of national game competitions to spur and promote new games for STEM learning. The finalists of these contests will be shown at this year’s Annual Games for Change Festival on May 25, 2010. The President’s announcement highlighted a STEM competition involving a joint MacAthur Foundation and Sony initiative featuring Little Big Planet as the development platform. See the press release here: http://gamesforchange.org/STEM
For G4C media inquiries or more information, please…
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Games for Change is Seeking a Project Manager: National STEM Game Challenge
Posted by Mark Smith on 12-23-09
In response to The President’s Innovate to Educate STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Initiative
The project manager will be responsible for leading a high-profile, cutting-edge public-private partnership initiative dedicated to discovering the potential of videogames to promote STEM skills. Partners include Games for Change, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Street and E Line Media. This 60% job will be based in the NYC offices of Games for Change and will last for nine months, with an opportunity to renew based on projected funding. Salary will be commensurate with experience.
Working closely with a governing board from the three organizations, the project manager will provide day-to-day oversight throughout the year and have the following primary responsibilities:
Primary Responsibilities:
Develop and coordinate contest guidelines, jury…
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Announcing the 7th Annual Games for Change Festival - May 24-26 2010
Posted by Mark Smith on 12-21-09
On May 25th, we will feature a series of short talks by thought leaders on the future of digital media. Speakers include Clay Shirky, intertnet expert and author of Here Comes Everybody; Katie Salen, Executive Director of NYC’s innovative “game school” Quest To Learn; Nick Bilton, specialist at the New York Times R & D Lab & author of the forthcoming book, I Live In The Future And Here’s How It Works; Dr. James Paul Gee, Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies, Arizona State University; Micah Sifry, co-founder TechPresident.com and Personal Democracy Forum, and many others.
Also, back by popular demand is the 101 Workshop on May 24 (under separate registration and open to all.) We will also have new programming for youth educators using games, a special…
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South Korean Games for Change Festival
Posted by Mark Smith on 09-22-09
This week our own Suzanne Seggerman will be traveling to Gyeonggi Province in Korea to attend KSF 2009, the first annual Korean Serious Games Festival. The event is being held amid high public interest and is expected to take the lead in the development and distribution of serious games in Korea and the region. Some 50 serious game companies plan to participate in KSF 2009, where activities will include conferences discussing global trends in serious games, and competitions.
“This serious game festival has two purposes. The first is the development of the game industry in our region and the second is the provision of learning through games. We hope to cultivate our province as a mecca of serious games and support contents development that can be presented to the world,”…
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Photos from the 2009 Games for Change Festival
Posted by Mark Smith on 06-04-09
Browse our slideshow of images from the 2009 festival and 101 workshop!
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G4C Festival Day 2 Summary
Posted by Mark Smith on 05-30-09
Posted by Emily Kornblut
This year’s Festival wrapped up with its third day of keynotes, panels, and conversations, with speakers throughout the day not only exploring how social issues can be integrated into games, but also considering how the best of gaming can create social change in the world.
To open the final day, Henry Jenkins and James Paul Gee engaged in a “fireside chat” on topics from how people learn from games, to the opportunity to transfer elements of participatory culture to participatory democracy, to what gaming can tell us about the future of schools. Using the example of his current work on women who become designers through playing The Sims, Gee suggested that passion, although treated as a trivial factor in schools, is the key to deep…
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G4C Festival Day 1 Summary
Posted by Mark Smith on 05-29-09
Posted by Emily Kornblut
The first day of the Festival was high energy from the morning opening keynote by Nicholas Kristof to the evening’s Games Expo and announcement of the winners of the first Knight News Game Award:
Lifetime Achievement: September 12th” by Gonzalo Frasca
Honorable Mention: The Budget Maze by Gotham Gazette
Honorable Mention: Hurrican Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City by Global Kids
Winner: Play The News by Impact Games
After opening remarks by Suzanne Seggerman, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof delivered the opening keynote. Kristof related stories from reporting around the world to the message that motivating people to make a difference through empathy is more effective than intellectual arguments, an approach at which games can…
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G4C 101 Workshop Roundup
Posted by Mark Smith on 05-27-09
Posted by Emily Kornblut
The Games for Change Festival kicked off today with its second annual G4C 101 Workshop. The day began with introductions from Suzanne Seggerman of Games for Change and Allyson Peerman of AMD, the sponsor of the G4C 101 Workshop, who spoke about AMD’s Changing the Game initiative, which supports game development programs to build students’ STEM skills and announced three new grantees.
Speakers throughout the day emphasized several keys to designing a good social issues game:
Continue reading the rest of this post. Games for Change Announces the Finalists for the First Annual Knight News Game Awards Games for Change today announced the finalists for the first annual Knight News Game Awards, which honors the best of this exciting new genre: games which are journalistic and enhance people’s ability to make decisions in a democracy. During the Games for Change Festival from May 27-29, the finalists will be honored at the Games for Change Expo on May 28 in New York City, where the winner will be announced at an awards ceremony sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Each of the finalists from the Knight News Game Award submissions aimed to meet certain core journalistic criteria:…
Continue reading the rest of this post. While developing his new game Spore, Will Wright indulged in his lifelong interest in astrobiology and drew from the work of Jill Tarter over numerous visits to the SETI Institute. In this video Salon, Wright and Tarter meet to ask each other questions about gaming and science, the value of scientific revolutions, and advanced life in the universe. Watch or read the entire interview here.
-know your target audience
-iterate often and rapidly
-choose your platform and development team well, as they will impact many other factors
-consider existing platforms and social media for the audiences they connect your game and issue to
Games for Change Announces the Finalists for the First Annual Knight News Game Awards
Posted by Mark Smith on 05-22-09
Annual festival to honor the most innovative games addresing critical social issues
Jill Tarter and Will Wright talk games with Seed Magazine
Posted by Mark Smith on 05-07-09
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Knight News Game Award at the 2009 Games for Change Festival
Posted by Mark Smith on 02-17-09
Games for Change is pleased to announce the Knight News Game Award at
the 2009 Sixth Annual Games for Change Festival. This year we will
recognize the best news games from the past several years in an award
ceremony at the Game Expo on May 28th, sponsored by the Knight
Foundation.
For more information about the award, please see: http://www.gamesforchange.org/knightcontest
And for more information about the festival, please see: http://www.gamesforchange.org/fest2009
Thank you and we hope to see you in May!
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Let the Games Begin: A Toolkit 4 Making Social Issue Games
Posted by Mark Smith on 01-26-09
Games for Change is pleased to launch Let the Games Begin: A Toolkit 4 Making Social Issue Games. The Toolkit, created with the generous support of the AMD Foundation, is designed to help nonprofit organizations and others who want to know what it takes to make a successful social issue game. The multimedia Toolkit includes extensive video presentations by experts in the field, articles, links to outside resources, any many game examples. The Toolkit is available for free online at www.gamesforchange.org/toolkit. We will continue to update the Toolkit as new resources become available.
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Suzanne Seggerman blogs at The Huffington Post
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 11-28-08
Suzanne Seggerman made her first foray as a Huffington Post blogger recently, asking “Does Obama Play Video Games?”. Noting that the idea that games can engage players with social issues is an idea building momentum, she cites some key evidence:
” Food Force has been downloaded more than 4 million times. Darfur Is Dying, more than 3 million plays, generating 50,000 “real-world actions” including letters to congress. AYITI: the Cost of Life, a game about poverty in Haiti
created with inner city youth in NYC, is being played by more than 2 million young people around the world.”
At Games for Change, we hope metrics like this help persuade this new administration not only of the variety of video games, but also of…
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Study on Youth Living and Learning with New Media and Implications for Social Change Makers
Posted by Hsing Wei on 11-20-08
The results of a three-year ethnographic study, the largest study ever conducted of participation in the new media ecology by U.S. youth, was released today. Stemming from research beginning in 2005 and spanning 23 case studies by 28 researchers and collaborators, the white paper brings a youth-centered perspective into the debates about the merits, influence, and intersection of games (and other new media) on youth development.
From interviewing and observing young people on social networks, video-sharing sites, gaming sites, cell phones, and ipod-like gadgets, the researchers unpacked behaviors and learning in every day activities that run contrary to common adult perceptions about what is a waste of time.
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Election Games and the 2008 Election in Games
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 11-01-08
Like other election years, this one has seen the usual collection of interactive toys and candidate shooter-type games. We've chosen to highlight one election game – President Forever 2008, which we feel offers a more in-depth experience than these others, as a reminder that games can deepen one's overall experience and understanding of the political.
In addition to this game we wanted to call attention to two interesting developments in the overall universe of elections and gaming. The first was the news of the Obama campaign's in-game ads that provoked some very lively discussion across the blogosphere about gamers, games and politics.
The second was the growth of election-related machinima, whose notable examples include a satirical take on the Republican ticket and an…
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Discovering and Filling Gaps in Funding: The Knight News Challenge, interview with Jessica Goldfin
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 10-01-08
G4C: Why don't you give us some background on the Knight Foundation's News Challenge and how that initiative evolved?
Jessica Goldfin: Well, we put a lot of thought into where we could help most, where we fit as an organization. We were interested to see organizations like The John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur Foundation begin funding digital media, but saw our role as very different.
We really felt that virtual communities didn't need our help, but that geographic communities might. We saw that the newspaper model was changing and had to change more, and started wondering how we could help those geographic communities and news providers get the…
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New Study on Games and Civic Engagement
Posted by Suzanne Seggerman on 09-18-08
Yesterday the MacArthur Foundation announced a study they’ve funded, conducted by Pew Internet & American Life Project and co-authored by Joe Kahne of Mills College about kids and games. A primary finding from the study was that games have the potential to engage kids in civic participation and offer a rich environment for learning. While we at Games for Change may feel like saying, “I told you so!”, we are of course thrilled to have such an important and thorough study with quantitative results to bolster our own long-held view that games have the extraordinary potential to create meaningful civic engagement and long-term social change. It’s the kind of ground-breaking study that will have a major and lasting impact on the field. Thank you Joe! And the folks at MacArthur…
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Penny Arcade Expo - The Violence Thing and Beyond
Posted by Alex Quinn on 09-03-08
I spent Labor Day weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle attended by an astonishing 58,000 game enthusiasts. Scores of exhibitors, including leading game publishers, showed off the latest games. The weekend included music, films, and of course plenty of gameplay. The Expo also featured panels on all kinds of game-related topics—from design to piracy.
Continue reading the rest of this post. G4C: How is Play the News different from your first news game, Peacemaker?
Continue reading the rest of this post. From Paris - Today Microsoft and Games for Change announced the winners of the Xbox 360 Games for Change Challenge - a game contest on environmental sustainability made using XNA Game Studio, Microsoft’s toolkit which allows almost anyone to make and distribute a game for the XBox. We launched the contest during last year’s 2007 festival Expo and then saw the 6 finalists during the 2008 festival just last month. Today the final three were chosen and feted in a big splashy show at the Louvre. It was great fun and the work was very impressive. The 3 winners were CityRain from Mother Gaia Studio in Brazil in first place; Future Flow from Belgium’s Drunk Puppy in second, and CleanUp from the South Korean team Gomz in third. We’ll be…
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I was part of a panel entitled Video Games, Politics & Policy: “The Violence Thing” and Beyond. Joining me were Dennis MaCauley, Editor GamePolitics.com; Bo Anderson, President, Entertainment Merchants Association; Jason Della Rocca, Executive Director, International Game Developers Association; and Jennifer Mercurio, Director, Government Affairs, Entertainment Consumers Association.
The Future of News Play: Asi Burak Envisions a YouTube for News Games
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 08-04-08
Burak: “Peacemaker had a very different approach. It is a long form. To play the whole, it takes about four hours. It deals with complex issues and gives many perspectives, in order to address all agendas, and create a balanced, objective viewpoint."
"Play the News is very different. It really isn't as rich as Peacemaker on any one issue, but in some ways it is much richer because of the platform. News playing can go on forever, as people play different games and understand the news better."
G4C: Some people have already played some of the news games on Play the News,…
XBox 360 Games for Change Challenge Winners Announced Today in Paris!
Posted by Suzanne Seggerman on 07-08-08
Photos from our G4C 101 Workshop
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 06-10-08
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How Suzanna Samstag Oh is Bringing Games for Social Change to Korea and a Regional Focus to Games
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 06-05-08
Suzanna Samstag Oh talks a mile a minute. I've barely gotten my laptop open and she's told me about her entire professional trajectory and the how's and why's of her current involvement in games for social change. It's fascinating. She's been a Peace Corps volunteer, headed up the creation of Newsweek's Korean edition, done freelance translation while shepherding her children through pre-school, and now teaches a class on social issue games for KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, which is the MIT of Korea.
Suzanna Oh spoke on the "G4C Does TED" panel about the work she's doing on games for social change in Korea. To recap for those who did not either attend the festival or see that particular panel, Oh is a…
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The Honorable Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Makes a Strong Case for Games for Social Change
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 06-04-08
One of the highest points of this year's Games for Change Festival were the closing remarks made by the inveterately wry Honorable Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who not only presented a real case for social issue games while professing not to play games, but also fielded questions from Reuters and The New York Times with a cantankerous wit that lent a true joy to the last Q&A of a fascinating event.
Introducing her was Bob Kerrey, current President of The New School in New York and former Senator from Nebraska. He remarked that the judicial branch of our government is the least understood, but "the most important branch of government, because it is where we [the people] have the most power." His conclusion, "it is critical that…
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Registration for the Annual Games for Change Festival is still open
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 06-02-08
We are very pleased to announce that this year’s Games for Change Festival has a record attendance, so far at over 300 registrants. You may register at the door on Tuesday morning. We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!
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Announcing Open Registration for the Games for Change Festival
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 04-16-08
Registration for the 2008 Fifth Annual Games for Change Festival is now available!
Please join us at Parsons the New School for Design in NYC for our annual event bringing together non-profits, educators, game designers and activists of all stripes to explore the growing movement and emerging field of games for social change.
Leading scholars Jim Gee and Henry Jenkins will open the festival with a keynote conversation on June 3rd at 4:30pm.
We are pleased to announce our closing keynote this year will be the Honorable Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, scheduled for 4pm on June 4th.
Featured panelists include: Jim Gasperini, creator of Hidden Agenda, and Chris Crawford of Balance of Power and Balance of the…
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Let the Games Begin! G4C Workshop wins DML Competition
Posted by phoebe on 02-21-08
We won! G4C’s soup-to-nuts workshop for newbies is a winner in the first Digital Media and Learning Competition funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This workshop will kick off the 2008 G4C Festival taking place June 2 - 4 in New York. One of 17 innovative projects to receive funding, the 101 workshop will feature leading experts — such as Eric Zimmerman (Gamelab), Ian Bogost (Persuasive Games), Alan Gershenfeld (Activision, E-line Ventures), Heather Chaplin (Smart Bomb) — on everything from game design to press strategies. Space is limited - click here to learn more.
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Games for Change is hiring for a Program Associate
Posted by phoebe on 12-18-07
Games for Change is seeking a Program Associate to assist with a variety of projects including
PETlab (Prototyping, Evaluation, Teaching and Learning lab—a joint social issue game
development initiative with Parsons The New School for Design), our annual Games for
Change Festival, and new partnership development.
The Program Associate will provide administrative and other support for the Games for
Change Executive team. Examples of duties include:
• Creating and maintaining tracking systems for projects and partnership development
• Coordinating phone conferences and meetings
• Drafting correspondence for potential partners and funders
• Formatting and providing Games for Change informational materials
• Formatting and proof reading reports and proposals
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Parsons and Games for Change to Launch PETLab
Posted by phoebe on 12-12-07
First-of-its-Kind Initiative Will Prototype Digital Games Addressing Social Issues;
To Partner with Microsoft and MTV in First Year
Parsons The New School for Design, in collaboration with the non-profit organization Games for Change, has announced the launch of PETLab, the first public-interest game design and research laboratory for interactive media. The initiative was made possible by a $450,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, as part of the foundation’s digital media and learning initiative established in 2006 to help determine how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life.
In its first year, PETLab will work with Microsoft’s Xbox development platform and MTV’s Think.MTV.com youth-focused online activist community on the development of both learning tools and…
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Save the Date! 2008 5th Annual Games for Change Festival June 2 - 4
Posted by phoebe on 12-12-07
Come celebrate our 5th year!
Games for Change is happy to announce the 5th Annual Games for Change Festival on June 2 - 4 at Parsons, the New School for design in New York City.
Confirmed speakers include Jim Gee and Henry Jenkins in a keynote conversation (in honor of our Fifth!) and many others!
Exciting new activities and partners are in the works, including a day-long 101 workshop for those new to the field (aimed especially at non-profits) on the first day of the festival June 2nd, confirmed presenters there include Barry Joseph (Global Kids), Eric Zimmerman (GameLab), Heather Chaplin, (journalist/author) and Alan Gershenfeld (E-Line Ventures, formerly of Activision). Along with 2 full days of festival programming on June 3rd and 4th, there will be media and funders briefings,…
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Project Manager Opening
Posted by phoebe on 11-15-07
Games for Change is seeking a Project Manager for its Prototyping, Evaluation, Teaching and
Learning lab (PETLab) a joint initiative with Parsons The New School for Design. PETLab
develops new games, simulations, and play experiences which encourage experimental learning
and investigation into social and global issues. It is a place for testing prototyping methods and
the process of collaborative design with organizations interested in using games as a form of
public interest engagement… Download full job description
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G4C is Growing - Seeking Online Community Manager
Posted by phoebe on 09-24-07
Games for Change is expanding in a number of new directions, including management of an online social network dedicated to the field of digital media and learning. We are currently looking for an Online Community Manager to join our team. The Community Manager will help us craft a vision and oversee the editorial strategy for this social network that serves researchers, academics, media producers, policy makers, educators, and the public. (See PDF job description)
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Summary of G4C 07 Festival Panels
Posted by phoebe on 06-14-07
Images, audio, video, transcripts, and blogged opinions of Games For Change’s 4th Annual Festival are on the web for those who missed the event (or who just want to re-live some of the interesting conversations and energy). A round-up of the two days of conversation and panels can be found here.
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G4C and Microsoft announce Xbox Partnership
Posted by phoebe on 06-12-07
Check out the Xbox 360 Games for Change Challenge at: www.xbox.com/g4c
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Twitter and notes from the G4C Festival
Posted by phoebe on 06-11-07
The Games for Change Annual Festival June 11 and 12th.
Twitter from the festival at http://twitter.com/G4C. |
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Register for the Festival
Posted by phoebe on 04-13-07
Registration open for the 2007 G4C 4th Annual Festival! Keynotes are announced and you’ll find featured sessions and a great line-up of speakers here.
Submit your Game for Awards consideration here.
Recommend a game you like here.
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Vote for Us!
Posted by phoebe on 04-09-07
Please vote for Games for Change here to help us get funding from the NetSquared Innovation Fund. 20 projects from the 150 submitted will get funding based on who gets the most votes. So we need your help!
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G4C June 2007 Festival Announcement & Call for Proposals
Posted by phoebe on 03-14-07
We are pleased to announce that the Games for Change 4th Annual Festival will be held on June 11th and 12th at Parsons the New School for Design in New York City.
We are currently accepting proposals now until March 15th.
We’d like to receive from our community not only concrete proposal submissions, but we also welcome feedback on the kinds of subject matter you’d like to hear about. Please send proposals to: events@gamesforchange.org with “2007 G4C Festival proposal” in the subject header by March 15. We look forward to hearing from you!
For submitting a proposal, please include the following as guidelines.
1. Proposed title of session
2. Name, phone and email of primary contact for this proposal
3. Names, affiliations…Continue reading the rest of this post.
NYC Salon: Ethics and Values in Games
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 01-14-07
On January 9th an evening salon was held in NYC at Parsons the New School for Design in conjunction with G4C and the NYC Games Scholars. The program included:
Jesper Juul (Assistant Professor, Centre for Computer Game Research Copenhagen; Visiting Scholar, The New School) on The Problem with Games and Players and the Rest of the World: What happens when a player picks up a game? What is the boundary between what is in the game and what is outside the game? Does fiction or rules matter?
—and—
Helen Nissenbaum (Associate Professor in the Department of Culture and Communication and Faculty Associate of the Information Law Institute at NYU) on Values-at-Play: A Methodology for…Continue reading the rest of this post.
Podcasts Released from our June 2006 Conference/Festival
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 12-01-06
We're releasing our podcasts. The sound quality is a bit imperfect, but our speakers shine. There are two ways to browse the content:
While audio recordings are never as powerful as being there in person, and there's none of the powerful networking, we still hope these will make the community's knowledge more broadly accessible.
- View podcasts with descriptions
- View just filenames (same as "continue reading" below)
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We’re Growing—Seeking Exec. Director, Social Network Manager, National Events Planner
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 11-22-06
Games for Change is growing! We're expanding our work with Parsons the New School for Design and the MacArthur Foundation, in addition to grants received over the past six months from Surdna, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. As part of our restructuring, Suzanne Seggerman will be assuming the role of President beginning in January; transition details for Benjamin Stokes are forthcoming; beginning today we are recruiting for:
- Executive Director: seeking a social change innovator and experienced program manager to lead a team of five people as the organization expands to a solid yet flexible institution at the forefront of a new form of media in the public interest. (See PDF job description.)
- Online Social Network Manager-Designer: Oversee the development and…
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G4C at two Festivals: Margaret Mead and Sundance
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 11-06-06
Games for Change is happy to announce we’ll be featured at two upcoming film festivals…
The first is this weekend in NYC at the Margaret Mead International Film and Video Festival, the longest-running showcase for international documentaries in the United States. The Festival is distinguished by its outstanding selection of titles, which tackle diverse and challenging subjects, representing a range of issues and perspectives, and by the forums for discussion with filmmakers and speakers. This is its 30th anniversary!
Our panel at Margaret Mead will take place in the Linder Theatre at the Natural History Museum from 3:45-5:45pm on November 11th. For parents, consider taking your kids to a documentary before or after, and then to this panel on games. The…
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MacArthur Foundation to work with G4C on Events, Knowledge Network, Games Research
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 10-05-06
G4C is happy to announce that we are the project lead on a $250K grant from the MacArthur Foundation made to the Digital Innovations Group (DIG). As part of MacArthur’s new Digital Media and Learning initiative we will be working on three projects. The first is an online Knowledge Network for the national coordination of resources and community leadership; the second is a series of offline events to connect with policymakers, practitioners and the general public; and the third is research assessing the emerging field of digital games and social change. The official grant recipient, DIG, is G4C’s fiscal sponsor. Some additional details are available on the MacArthur site here.
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How to Get Involved
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 07-24-06
Heard about Games for Change and wondering how you can get involved or stay informed about our efforts? A few ideas: try joining our email discussion list. What are we talking about these days? Check out our conference program, see the links proposed by conference attendees, or read more about us.
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Conference Press
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 07-23-06
Recent press from our 2006 conference includes:
- 30-Dec: San Jose Mercury News: Forget Sonic. These video games are serious
- 8-Dec: Wall Street Journal: Games Show the Way
- 1-Dec: What is Enlightenment (magazine): Gaming for a Higher Cause
- 24-Nov: NPR (Here and Now): Gary Goldberger, G4C Ambassador in SL
- 16-Nov: Now Toronto (magazine): Activist gaming takes hold
- 1-Nov: Nonprofit Times: Gaming Wins New Advocates
- 27-Oct: Today Online, Courier Mail: 'Serious Games' take aim at shoot-'em-up video
- 8-Oct: La Revista: Jugar a cambiar el mundo (Puerto Rico)
- 7-Oct: Daily Camera: Gaming for Good
- 18-Sep: Plenty Magazine: Just Push Play (environmental games)
- 6-Sep: Palm Beach Post: New generation of video games takes on…
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Annual Conference in June, 2006
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 05-08-06
Visit the conference website:
Registration is now live for our 2006 conference on "Social Change and Digital Games." The 3rd annual event will be co-hosted June 27th and 28th with the New School in New York City's Greenwich Village. Registration fees will increase after May 24th.
This event is the annual gathering for the exciting new movement using digital games to address the most pressing issues of our day. At the conference, expert practitioners -- academics, activists, non-profits -- will be called in to examine the impact of current games and preliminary and crucial work of building the field. Keynotes include Bob Kerrey, The New School President and former Senator from Nebraska, and best-selling author Steven Johnson of "Everything Bad Is Good For You." A…
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Outcomes from GDC
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 03-22-06
While the GDC will continue through Friday, the Serious Games portion is complete. Here's a quick report with links to press received, an audio podcast of our panel, and photos from our "birds of a feather" session:
1. Press the article on our GDC panel by GameSpot (and even if GameSpot implies otherwise, Suzanne does know who made hidden agenda-- Jim Gasperini!)
2. Listen to the audio recording (zipped mp3) of the same panel.
3. Check out our photos:
G4C co-director Suzanne Seggerman addresses the main hall for the Serious Games Summit at GDC; fellow panelists Katie Salen, Carl Goodman and Lucy Bernholz (from left to right)
G4C board member Ian Bogost presents on Political/Activism Gaming
A sampling…Continue reading the rest of this post.
Two conferences: March 20 (GDC/San Jose) & March 24 (N-TEN/Seattle)
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 03-07-06
UPDATED: photos, audio recordings, and press hits from the conferences are available if you 'read more' at the end of this post...
G4C will be at both the Game Developers Conference and the Nonprofit Technology Conference in late March:
- GDC/San Jose Gathering: Meet-Up for Games for Change community. This birds-of-a-feather session will be hosted by the directors of Games for Change. Objectives are to plan out our upcoming national conference, network and share resources with our rapidly growing community. Monday, March 20, 1-1:50pm
- GDC/San Jose Panel: Mass Audience Issues for Serious Games. As nearly the first panel in the two-day Summit on Serious Games that preceds the official GDC, we're gathering a high-profile crew that includes a funder's perspective (Connie Yowell/MacArthur Foundation), a museum perspective (Carl…
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Reporting Back: Panel at Annual Serious Games Summit in DC
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 02-22-06
We now have the full audio (MP3) from the November '05 panel that G4C hosted at the Serious Games Summit titled "Theory of Change: The Making of Good Social Issue Games." Overview: Many proponents of serious games believe they can affect positive social change, but to claim success, one must be able to evaluate impact. Business owners, foundations and nonprofits often use a "theory of change" (TOC) to articulate what's behind their social change design. Thus, a special focus of the panel will be discussing how TOC principals can form the basis of successful non-profit game design. The panel consider several TOC approaches through the perspectives of varied panelists. (More detail is available on the panel's description on the Summit site.) Speakers included:
- Moderator: Mario Armstrong (National…
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Call out for feedback
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 11-08-05
We're now gathering all articles, photos and quotes! Send what you've got to our conference email address (g4cacteva@wwwac.org). All conference attendees should receive our survey via email by Wednesday, November 15th -- let us know if you haven't seen this yet!
General update: We're regrouping, post-conference, and doing a bunch of assessment. Soon we'll start sharing some of the results and articles from the survey and beyond! Stay tuned...Continue reading the rest of this post.
Registration Open for our 2005 Conference!
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 09-14-05
Click on the logo at left to find out the details and register today for our 2005 national conference on Social Change through Digital Games.
We invite designers, nonprofits, academics, foundations, government offices, artists and more to attend for two fantastic days of networking, learning and collaboration. Save $50 if you register before September 30th...Continue reading the rest of this post.
Article Published: Overview of Serious Games for Global Educators
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 08-23-05
The UK-published Development Education Journal recently asked one of our co-founders to write a theme article on "Games and Global Education" for their June 2005 edition. Were now pleased to offer the article online. Two aspects may interest readers here: (1) the overview of digital games for those doing civic education, (2) advice on collaboration to increase impact for the Serious Games sector. A PDF of the article can be downloaded at the top of the following URL: www.netaid.org/go/games
At a larger level, traditional journals are clearly beginning to take games seriously. In this case, the flagship publication of a leading global education journal considered digital games worth recruiting for its special issue on technology in education. The article itself is largely a product of the Serious Games community: it was authored by G4C co-founder Benjamin Stokes and acknowledgements also go out to Dave Rejeski (G4C co-founder) and David Williamson Shaffer (UW-Madison).
Continue reading the rest of this post.
Salon Report on “Behind the Scenes of The UN WFP’s Food Force” (#4, July 20th)
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 07-25-05
This salon’s photos and audio are available online.
Who says games are not serious? This months Games for Change Salon took a peek at The United Nations World Food Programs (WFP) FoodForce Game. We welcomed Trevor Rowe, North American Spokesperson for the World Food Programs (who discussed the game and its impact in promoting awareness of the WFP and hunger worldwide.
Suzanne Seggerman of WebLab welcomed the large group in attendance with a special thank you to the Fund for the City of New York, who generously hosted the event. The WFP FoodForce Game initiative is of particular interest to Games for Change as we draw our members from over 20 countries and because poverty is one of the most significant social issues of our time.
According to Mr. Rowe, unlike most UN agencies, WFP does most of its work in the field. The WFP is the worlds largest humanitarian agency, supports 82 countries and fed over 100 million people last year alone! Hunger remains the #1 health threat around the world, and more die each year due to hunger than malaria tuberculosis and HIV/Aids combined. And yet Mr. Rowe commented: hunger remains a difficult issue for people to focus on.
Mr. Rowe cited a number of challenges facing the WFP in promoting awareness of hunger. How can the WFP promote awareness without provoking guilt or leaving people feeling affronted or offended? Can they develop support for action above and beyond awareness? The WFP also had a goal of creating a more long-term constituency among youth ages 9-13. And finally, the WFP wanted to make the game as real as possible to expose players to the real decisions and experiences the WFP encounters.
The solution for the WFP involved an active game experience where the real problems facing the WFP on a daily basis are solved. The series of steps in the game included a) an assessment of resources and funding required; b) a view into the hard choices the agency makes with balancing nutrition/diet against supplies; c) the logistics of air dropping food; d) the challenge of delivering food across rough and hostile terrain; and e) a review of the long-term initiatives that the WFP undertakes to not just feed, but rehabilitate the countries through rebuilding roads and schools, replanting, etc.
The result was very successful with 1 million downloads in its first 10 weeks following launch. The FoodForce Game game was also the #1 download on Apples website for the first 2 weeks, and in total has been downloaded by 1.5 to 2 million people. The future plans for the FoodForce Game game include promoting its use in schools and releasing it in other languages.
Benjamin Stokes of NetAid demonstrated the game and highlighted its success despite the large download size (220MB), commenting that non-profits should look at downloading as an alternate (and inexpensive) method of distribution. Mr. Stokes also commented on the use of a Trust Network to distribute the game. You have to play it to understand it, Mr. Stokes noted in comparing the cinematic elements of the game to the interactive components. He noted how the game mixed expository information into the actual game play, reinforcing the message the WFP intended to get across, and that game play was very easy to pick up, with instructions lasting only 5 to 10 seconds.
During the Q&A section, one person suggested tying the game into real-time hunger/health data provided by Bloomberg. The game reportedly cost several hundred thousand dollars to produce. According to Mr. Rowe, the large audience was in part due to very solid PR efforts, and that the national debate regarding video game usage and a natural interest on the part of the media fed the publicity.
When asked about establishing a deeper moral connection with its users beyond just awareness, Mr. Rowe commented: Its difficult to establish a moral connection - however you do create a certain level of understanding and empathy for the process of solving this particular problem - there are not just a lot of faceless people out there that are hungry. Youll walk away knowing that you can do something about it, because youve done it. And so the next time someone says you cant do something about hunger, youre going to say well, maybe you can.
Benjamin Stokes distributed an article that he authored on Serious Games that explores: three educational opportunities in games - raising public awareness, affecting behavior and empowering learners and discusses collaborative ways to move the agenda forward. The article is slated to appear in the June 2005 edition of The Development Education Journal .
Barry Joseph of GlobalKids announced new support from Microsoft for a new initiative. According to Mr. Joseph, the After School Games Program will work with students after school to teach them not only GlobalKids leadership skills but also game design skills. Learn how to combine the two together. And well be working closely with GameLab to produce the game with the students each year.
Thanks to those who attended, to Mr. Trevor Rowe for his presentation on the WFP’s FoodForce Game and to The Fund for the City of New York for hosting the event.
Reminder to all about the upcoming Games for Change Conference scheduled for October 21st/22nd in New York.
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Please join us for our next Salon on Wednesday, July 20th!
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 07-11-05
The Games for Change Summer Salon:
Behind the Scenes of The UN’s Food ForceTHE EVENT:
- Meet the UN World Food Programme’s North America spokesman.
- Learn how they made their game and what they hope to accomplish.
- Discover how a game about air dropping food rations reached over 1,000,000 players within two months.
- Introduce yourself to others in the G4C community.
- Enjoy the drinks, light fare and networking opportunities.
- Show your own game during the cocktail hour.THE PLACE:
Wednesday, July 20
6 - 8pm
Fund for the City of NY
121 Avenue of the Americas (@ Broome Street) 6th Floor (for directions: http://fcny.org/portal.php/fcny/directions/)
As sponsored by the Fund…Continue reading the rest of this post.
Reporting Back: at Madison for the GLS Conference / June 23-24
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 06-25-05
As described earlier, we hosted a luncheon this past week on the topic of "facilitating multi-sector partnerships around research, publicity and game development" at the GLS Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. The conference drew more than 300 attendees for a fantastic and diverse look into learning and digital games.
The luncheon was attended by foundations, reporters, game designers, teachers, nonprofits, researchers and others. More than four discussion tables tackled how collaboration between fields can overcome mutual challenges. Moderated by Benjamin Stokes, the event built on G4C's earlier presence at GDC and E3 to expand our fledgling community.
A nice bonus was a front-page article mentioning Games For Change in the Wisconsin State Journal which described our work in "bringing together nonprofits and others across the country to develop…
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Join us in Madison for the GLS Conference / June 23-24
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 06-20-05
We're hosting a luncheon on the opening day of the GLS Conference in Madison on June 23rd. The focus will be on how G4C can facilitate multi-sector partnerships around research, publicity and game development. The session will be moderated by Benjamin Stokes of NetAid. Benjamin will also be presenting a workshop on intersections between Games and Service Learning.
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Our Party at the Education Arcade—and Next Salon Preview
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 05-20-05
Suaznne just wanted to drop in and give you all an update on G4C’s recent events:
First, welcome to the many new members who’ve just joined after our various West Coast activities - we now have members in almost 20 countries (welcome Finland and Taiwan - our newest additions!) and almost all 50 states (hello Hawaii!)
Our most recent event was Monday night’s Education Arcade party, an information session and social hour at the poolside bar of the Figueroa Hotel, a block from the Education Arcade. Co-hosted by G4C, Serious Games and our new LA coordinator, Celia Pearce, it was a great evening. Barry Joseph and I, G4C co-founders, spoke about G4C activities, Celia spoke about the Buckminster Fuller Insititute’s game project Spaceship Earth, and Ben Sawyer…
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Salon Report on “Games in Culture” (#3, May 4th)
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 05-15-05
[check out photos and audio
of the event]
On May 4th, Games For Change met for its third Salon in NYC (more are pending in the Bay Area and beyond). The panel session, titled “Games in Culture,” was developed and moderated by game designer and author Eric Zimmerman, Founder and CEO of GameLab.
The theme of the presentations and discussion centered on the unique status that games have on our culture, and how games can be used for social change.
Mr. Zimmerman opened the evening’s presentation with a recap of the previous salons and their agendas (the 1st focused on funding and the 2nd on case studies and design and production issues). In this Salon, Mr. Zimmerman aimed to expand the conversation by rethinking games and social…
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Join us for our next Salon on Wednesday, May 4!
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 04-21-05
Games For Change Salon Series
3rd Feature: Games in Culture
6-8pm on Wednesday, May 4, 2005
Fund for the City of New York
121 6th Avenue @ Broome Street
6th floor** Games For Change brings together non-profits and their partners to explore the use of digital games to advance organizational mission and societal change.
OVERVIEW
This bi-monthly discussion series brings together key individuals and organizations interested in discussing the use of digital games to achieve non-profit missions. The focus for each evening will be a presentation or discussion with several noteworthy speakers followed by a lively social hour.May 4. Moderated by game designer and author Eric Zimmerman, this panel will explore the cultural and social aspects of games in…
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Second Games for Change Salon a hit (March 29)
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 04-21-05
[check out photos and audio of the event]
The second Games for Change salon was held on March 29th at the offices of the Fund for the City of New York, which has been kind enough to donate their time, space and equipment to Games for Change.
Guests came from universities, non-profits, and game development companies - many from the city, but also from Massachusetts and Maryland, showing the growing interest in this topic. Everyone enjoyed snacks and beverages in a great lobby space before the meeting proper. Barry Joseph in particular noted the high quality of the rugelah provided. Barry and Suzanne Seggerman greeted the guests and gave brief overviews of the organization’s mission and their recent trip to San Francisco for the Game Developer’s Conference.
…Continue reading the rest of this post.
Mention in The Nation’s weblog
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 04-05-05
We're pleased to see the editor of The Nation magazine highlight the G4C community in the last paragraph of her weblog, Editor's Cut (www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?pid=2302). The article also features quotes by co-founder Dave Rejeski and game examples featured in some of our recent discussions.
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Success at GDC and in San Francisco
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 03-25-05
Following two days of events in San Francisco, Games For Change (G4C) organizers believe they may have reached a new tipping point in activity and external interest. A new Bay Area chapter has emerged, volunteer groups are cohering around specific projects, and new partners are directly approaching the group. The recent San Francisco events, held in and around the Moscone Center on March 7th and 8th, occurred both independently and within the Serious Games Summit (~500 attendees) as part of the larger Game Developers Conference (~10,000 attendees).
The G4C group's activities in San Francisco show the interest the group is garnering in the larger Serious Games community. On Monday March 7th, the Serious Games Summit started and included Suzanne Seggerman and Barry Joseph (Global Kids) leading a…
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Join us at these March events
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 02-16-05
Lunch as part of SG-GDC (March 7th): At the Serious Games Preconference to GDC in San Francisco. Come learn more about what we have achieved in the past year, network with other practitioners, and learn what GFC can mean for you and your work. Co-moderated by Suzanne Seggerman, coordinator of GFC, and Barry Joseph, director of Global Kids' Online Leadership Program. Lunch provided on a first come, first serve basis. Note that you must register for the pre-conference to attend.
Bay Area Happy Hour Information & Networking Session (March 8th): Want to connect to the Games4Change movement in the Bay Area? Come to this free event (not connected to the conference). We're going to host an information and networking session on Tuesday evening, March 8th. The…
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Games For Change mentioned in NYC Council Hearing
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 02-14-05
Today, the City Council’s Committee on Technology in Government held a public hearing: “Oversight: Improving Participatory Democracy Through Municipal Cable Television.” You might wonder what this might have to do with online games?
Well, one of the main questions pertained to the stations’ websites and how they could be used to engage and inform the public. One of GFC’s founders, Barry Joseph from Global Kids, was invited to present. He spoke about a number of areas, such as online dialogues, but addressed games and our movement as well.
The following is from his spoken testimony:
For three years, Global Kids has been exploring what has come to be called, “Serious Games,” the use of online games as a tool for more than just entertainment. More specifically, we have…
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First salon a success (including pictures!)
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 01-13-05
The results are in: our first Salon, held two days ago, was a success. Highlights include:
- 50 attendees from all over, both near (NYC) and far (Boston, St. Paul, Miami, & Los Angels). Many arrived early and stayed late; maybe it was the great food? Grin.
- Diverse backgrounds: mostly nonprofits, with a good blend of industry, academia, artists, media and consultants.
- The speakers were fantastic - inspiring and practical.
Franklin Madison, Jr., the Technology Program Director at the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation, opened the presentations by discussing various avenues for securing funding from Federal agencies.
Kevin Duggan, an independent consultant specializing in planning and development for individual artists and nonprofit cultural organizations, follow by discussing his work with artists and mediamakers as innovators in the use…Continue reading the rest of this post.
Games For Change in the Village Voice
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 01-13-05
In this week’s Village Voice Educational supplement, Games For Change’s work with online gaming got a mention in “Game On! Will more professors develop video games for their classes?”
...Although New York schools haven’t designed many curricular games, the city has pushed ahead in a slightly different field-“meaningful content” games, which promote social and political awareness. Last June, a trio of New York-based nonprofits (NetAid, a U.N. organization that fights world poverty; Global Kids, Inc., a leadership group for urban youth; and Web Lab, a new-media think tank) hosted a conference called “Serious Issues, Serious Games” to explore ways of using digital playthings to “advance society.” Out of the conference emerged Games for Change, an interest group that has already worked with a number of pristine simulations where “winning”…
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First in Salon Series: “The Untapped Resources of New York City”
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 12-18-04
6-8pm on Tuesday, January 11, 2005
This new quarterly discussion series will bring together key individuals and organizations interested in discussing the use of digital games to achieve non-profit missions. The focus for each evening will be a guided and provocative discussion inspired by 2-3 key speakers and followed by a lively social hour. The salons will be held at a spacious SoHo loft, with drinks and hors d’oeuvres provided. The series launches on the heels of our first national conference this summer.
EVENT DETAILS
Convened by the Games For Change steering committee, the first salon will feature three speakers and will gather together a group of 30-50 people from academia, industry and the nonprofit sectors to explore digital game partnership opportunities within New York City. We’ll focus…Continue reading the rest of this post.
Serious Issues, Serious Games: The Non-Profit Perspective
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 10-10-04
Our first annual conference was held on June 8, 2004 at the New York Academy of Sciences, New York City. The aim of the conference was to "to bring together non-profits, foundations and game developers to explore the use of digital games to advance organizational mission and societal change." The conference's primary goal was to mobilize support for a medium with growing importance for nonprofits, and to bring together a small group of practitioners to begin to discuss a long-term strategy for the larger non-profit community and its partners. As with Games for Health, those interested in the non-profit perspective are forming a community of peers with our assistance. This new group is working on non-profit organization specific missions, long-term goals, and communication tools like a listserv. The exploratory conference…
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Launch of Games for Change Online
Posted by Benjamin Stokes on 10-02-04
With Games for Change, those interested in the non-profit perspective are forming a community comprising a distinct off-shoot of the broader Serious Games Initiative. This new group has their own specific mission and long-term goals. New online resources include:
*** Sign up for our independent listserv (known as SIGSIG)
*** Contribute to our wiki [outdated] for knowledge sharing
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