Final Day of Programming Featured Keynote Speakers Including The New York Times’ Graham Roberts, Stanford University’s Dr. Walter Greenleaf, University of Washington’s Tom Furness, and more
Press Release – (NEW YORK, NY) June 30, 2018 — The 15th Annual Games for Change Festival closed on a strong note with the return of the XR for Change Summit, formerly known as VR for Change, showcasing a range of how virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality can have a meaningful positive impact in journalism, health, education and more. Held at The New School’s Parsons School of Design, the Summit and the Immersive Arcade was curated by Ryan Seashore for Games for Change. Combining talks, breakouts, and demos, summit attendees were invited to learn about and experience new projects and discuss charting the path forward for the future of these technologies.
“The XR for Change Summit was an exceptionally fitting way to close out this year’s 15th Annual Games for Change Festival,” said Susanna Pollack, President of Games for Change. “Everything from the Immersive Arcade experiences to the presentations and talks by industry leaders and influencers provided attendees with practical applications for how the community can move forward.”
The Summit featured the following keynote presentations:
- Graham Roberts, Director of Immersive Platforms Storytelling, The New York Times, discussed how The New York Times is using augmented reality to enhance reporting and journalism,
- Walter Greenleaf, PhD Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University, shared how XR technology will impact and transform healthcare
- Gaia Dempsey, Founder & CEO, 7th Future, presented a new framework of how XR technologies can empower communities to climb Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’
- Tom Furness, Founder & Chairman of Virtual World Society and Founder of the Human Interface Technology Laboratory at the University of Washington, explored how XR technology has impacted humanity’s past, present and future,
Highlights and notable speakers from the XR for Change Summit included:
- Games for Change, Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, Archer’s Mark and Atlas V announced they are teaming up to launch an immersive virtual reality project, designed to raise public awareness around nuclear risk through a combination of narrative storytelling and gameplay mechanics. The project was awarded funds by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
- The Immersive Arcade – Attendees were invited to experience some of the most innovative works in XR, including:
- Terminal 3 by Asad J. Malik, 1RIC, Kaleidoscope, RYOT
- Greenland Melting by Emblematic Group
- 1000 Cut Journey by Columbia University and Stanford University
- This is Climate Change: Fire, Famine, Feast by Participant Media and Condition One
- The Journey by Picture This Productions and UNICEF
- She Flies by Her Own Wings by Fovrth Studios, Oculus VR for Good and The Pride Foundation
- Meeting a Monster by Life After Hate
- Into the Now by RSA Films
- Jupiter & Mars by Tigeton
- Overview by Orbital Views
- My Africa by Conservation International
- HoloAnatomy by Case Western Reserve University
- HoloTour by Microsoft
- Lost City of Mer by Lost City of Mer LLC
- The Hidden by International Justice Mission
- Dan Ayoub (Microsoft Mixed Reality Education General Manager) explored why libraries are expanding their role in digital literacy is an important in democratizing education.
- Joanna Popper (HP Global Head of Virtual Reality for Location Based Entertainment) presented Mars Home Planet and how thousands around the world are using XR to design, create and experience life on Mars.
- Boo Aguilar (FLAGCX Head of Next Generation Experiences) and Adam Haar Horowitz (Graduate Student, MIT Media Lab) presented a few of the projects they’ve been working on with partners like IBM, HTC, United Nations and Unity to accelerate change in the way we interact with computational systems and each other, as well as other technologies to keep an eye on for the future.
Earlier this week, The Games for Change Festival featured a XR Brain Jam, the work from which was on display at the XR for Change Summit. HP was the VR technology sponsor of the XR Brain Jam and the contributing tech sponsor of The Games for Change Festival. The three day-long Festival saw over 1,100 attendees, a record high for the organization. For more information about programming from this year’s festival, please visit www.gamesforchange.org.
Video Footage: Archived footage of the mainstage programming from the Festival’s live stream can be found on Games for Change Youtube page. Additional content can be found on BeTerrific’s Mixer channel (mixer.com/BeTerrificTV) and Twitch channel (twitch.tv/beterrific). BeTerrific media is also delivered through devices and apps on Amazon Fire, AppleTV, Roku, Android and iOS and at BeTerrific.com, YouTube.com/beterrifictv and other syndication channels.
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/
