NYC’s Largest Gaming Event Will Focus on Three Tracks: Games for Learning, Neurogaming & Health, and Civics Issues
Tickets Currently on Sale via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2016-games-for-change-festival-tickets-23185067160
Press Release – (NEW YORK, NY) May 25, 2016 — Games for Change, the influential organization that catalyzes social impact through digital games, today announced the programming for its 13th Annual Games for Change Festival, the largest gaming event in New York City, which will take place on Thursday and Friday June 23-24, 2016 produced in collaboration with Parsons School of Design at The New School. Games for Change is also announcing a new partnership with the Entertainment Software Association as it integrates the Games for Learning Summit into the main Festival.
For the first time, the festival will feature three focused tracks: Games for Learning, Neurogaming & Health, and Civics & Social Issues, as a way to highlight the impact that games are having in these major sectors and beyond entertainment. Each track will feature keynote presentations including Sid Meier (Cofounder of Firaxis Games), William Adams (Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities), Chris Weaver (Founder of Bethesda Softworks), Graeme Devine (Chief Creative Officer and Game Wizard, Magic Leap), Anna Maria Chávez (CEO of Girl Scouts of America), Annie Duke (winner of the World Series of Poker, Author and Philanthropist), Dr. Adam Gazzaley (Chief Scientist, Akili Interactive), Erik Huey (SVP Government Affairs for the Entertainment Software Association) and Seth Andrew (Senior Advisor, to the US Chief Technology Officer).
An overview of the three tracks and other notable speakers are below:
- Games for Learning Summit: During this year’s Summit, organizers will launch a new partnership with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which will explore how games are transforming education and redesigning the learning process. Festival attendees will have the opportunity to hear from emerging leaders in game-based learning and join in workshops.
- Speakers include: Graeme Devine (Chief Creative Officer and, Magic Leap), Deirdre Quarnstrom (Director, Microsoft Education), Seth Andrews, (Senior Advisor, to the US Chief Technology Officer), Minerva Tantuco, (NYC Chief Technology Officer), Celia Hodent, (Epic Games), Erik Huey (SVP Government Affairs for the Entertainment Software Association), Porter Stowell (Head of strategy and business development, IBM Serious Games) as well as executives from Valve, Google Education, and Blippar on a panel on VR in the classroom. Workshops include: Minecraft Education, “includification” advocates AbleGamers, and the live-action roleplayers at Classcraft.
- Neurograming & Health: Advances in science and technology enable innovative collaborations between researchers and game makers to produce games with remarkable, measureable outcomes. Festival attendees will be able to take a deep dive into the interactive experiences that aim to improve our brains and bodies.
- Speakers include: Dr. Adam Gazzaley (Chief Scientist, Akili Interactive), Mike Ambinder (Experimental psychologist, Valve Corporation), Stanley Yang (CEO, NeuroSky), Wolfgang Kampbartold (VP Deutsche Telekom – Sea Hero Quest) Adrian Hon (CEO and founder, Six to Start), Karen Palmer (Film director and digital artist, SyncSelf)
- Civics & Social Issues: The ability of games to inspire empathy and understanding make them a powerful tool for bringing people together and bridging gaps between perspectives. This track will highlight the gaming medium’s ability to engage with contemporary concerns regarding social justice and responsible citizenship.
- Speakers include: William Adams (Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities), Chris Weaver (Founder of Bethesda Softworks), Anna Maria Chávez (CEO of Girl Scouts of America), Carolyn Petit (Managing editor, Feminist Frequency), Sam Barlow (Developer, Her Story), Navid Khonsari (Creator and Director of 1979 Revolution)
“Games for Change is known for bringing together the brightest minds that are incorporating gaming into every aspect of life to advance society, and this year’s festival really demonstrates the evolution of Games for Change as a sector,” said Susanna Pollack, President of Games for Change. “This year we are establishing new programming verticals as games are touching and impacting different social human categories. The partnership with the ESA on the Games for Learning Summit directly demonstrates how commercial games industry is recognizing how important games are to the education sector.”
Erik Huey, SVP of Government Affairs for the Entertainment Software Association said “For the past 7 years now, the ESA has been actively convening stakeholders in the games for learning space at the E3 Expo, and it made sense at this time to expand upon this ongoing conversation by partnering with Games for Change to help scale the discussion and bring in further stakeholders who can help drive change in education using the power of games.”
This year’s Games for Change Festival will also feature the Games for Change Climate Challenge, a new initiative aimed to inspire people to tackle the problem of climate change at the local, regional, and global level. Four finalists will present their prototypes for digital games that focus on scientifically-grounded climate solutions, and/or promoting public awareness and understanding.
A panel of judges live on stage at the festival and one winner will receive a $10,000 prize to support further development of their game. The challenge, which was announced in April, is presented by G4C, PoLAR Partnerships, Autodesk with support from Dell, Intel and Nvidia.
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 keynote speakers and the latest news on all programming, please visit http://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 Games for Change Festival runs daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.
