Winners to Be Announced during 13th Annual Games for Change Festival at Parsons School of Design at The New School June 23-24
Games for Change (G4C), the non-profit that catalyzes social impact through digital games, today announced the finalists for the 2016 Games for Change Awards. Off the heels of the programming announcement for the 13th Annual Games for Change Festival, which will feature keynote speakers like Sid Meier (Cofounder of Firaxis Games, producer of the Civilization series), William Adams(Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities), Christopher Weaver (Founder of Bethesda Softworks), and Graeme Devine (Chief Creative Officer and Game Wizard, Magic Leap), the Games for Change Awards will celebrate the year’s best games for social impact. The winners will be announced at the conclusion of the festival’s first day-long event, on the evening of Thursday, June 23.
A blue-ribbon jury featuring leaders of the gaming community, philanthropic sector, media, and tech selected nine finalists in the following categories: Most Significant Impact, Most Innovative, Best Gameplay, and new to this year’s awards, Best Learning Game. All nominees will be considered for the top honor, Game of the Year, which is awarded to the game that best exemplifies all categories.
The finalists for the 2016 Games for Change Awards are:
Block’hood, nominated for BEST GAMEPLAY
http://www.plethora-project.com/blockhood/
Block’hood is a neighborhood-building sandbox game that presents an ecological take on city planning. Celebrating the diversity of cities, the game invites players into a narrative that builds an understanding of resource dependencies and empathy for the neighborhoods we live in.
DragonBox Numbers, nominated for BEST LEARNING GAME
http://dragonbox.com/numbers
DragonBox Numbers gives children who are at the outset of their math education the foundation they need in order to succeed: a strong sense of numbers and fluency with addition and counting.
Life is Strange, nominated for BEST GAMEPLAY, MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, and MOST INNOVATIVE
http://lifeisstrange.com/
Life is Strange is a five-part episodic experience that sets out to revolutionize story-based choice and consequence games by allowing the player to rewind time and affect the past, present, and future. The game handles identity, bullying, suicide, teen pregnancy, love, friendship and everyday dilemmas alongside moments of adventure.
Lumino City (iOS), nominated for MOST INNOVATIVE
http://www.luminocitygame.com/
Lumino City (iOS) is a game crafted entirely by hand out of paper, card, miniature lights, and motors – resulting in the construction of a 10 foot high model city. In this setting weaves an enthralling adventure. Lumi’s grandfather has been kidnapped, and to find him you must embrace sustainable living practices and navigate the mechanisms that power this world.
Mission US: City of Immigrants, nominated for BEST LEARNING GAME
http://www.mission-us.org/pages/landing-mission-4
Mission US: City of Immigrants is the 4th in a series of free digital role-playing games made to immerse students in U.S. history. Players assume the role of a Russian Jewish teen who immigrates to NYC in 1907 and joins the growing labor movement.
NOVA’s Evolution Lab, nominated for BEST LEARNING GAME
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/lab/evolution/
NOVA’s Evolution Lab is a puzzle game and interactive tree of life that challenges players to build phylogenetic trees, complete missions based off of the evidence for evolution, and explore the connections between over 70,000 species.
Super Powers Legion (Legião dos Super Poderes), nominated for MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
https://www.legiaodossuperpoderes.com.br/#/sabado-heroico
Legião dos Super Poderes is a game designed to change kids’ habits by mixing the real and virtual worlds. Children have to eat healthier and practice physical activities to gain superpowers in-game, evolving their heroes and defeating all enemies.
That Dragon, Cancer, nominated for BEST GAMEPLAY and MOST INNOVATIVE
http://www.thatdragoncancer.com/
That Dragon, Cancer is an immersive, narrative video game that retells Joel Green’s four year fight against cancer through about two hours of poetic, imaginative gameplay that explores themes of faith, hope and love.
Syrian Journey, nominated for MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32057601 Syrian Journey is a digital project that explores the plight of the Syrian refugees. By choosing their own escape route in a newsgame, the audience takes their own personal dramatic and heart-wrenching journey to face dilemmas based on real-life stories.
“We are thrilled to announce this year’s Games for Change Award finalists, giving recognition to the games that were created to make a difference in the world,” said Susanna Pollack, President of Games for Change. “As you can see, the diverse array of categories and finalists demonstrates the many ways that games can have impact on society beyond entertainment.”
The Games for Change Festival remains the leading international event that unites game creators with organizations and thought leaders who are incorporating gaming into diverse industries including: education, health and civic society. Over the years, the festival has played host to notable speakers ranging from Vice President Al Gore to the Honorable Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. For additional information on this year’s keynote speakers and the latest news on all programming, please visithttp://www.gamesforchange.org/festival.
To purchase tickets, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2016-games-for-change-festival-tickets-23185067160. The costs for the two-day festival pass are $379 for general tickets; $329 for non-profits and government employees; and $179 for students.
Registration includes access to the full Games for Change program on June 23 and 24 at Parsons School of Design. The G4C Festival runs daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.
Media must be credentialed in order to attend. For media requesting credentials, please reach out to g4c@sunshinesachs.com by June 17.
About Games for Change
Founded in 2004, Games for Change facilitates the creation and distribution of social impact games that serve as powerful tools in humanitarian and educational efforts. To further grow the field, Games for Change convenes multiple stakeholders, highlights best practices, incubates games, and helps create and direct investment into new projects. www.gamesforchange.org
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