Games for Change (G4C) holds an annual contest where students submit original games, designs, and writing. These submissions address specific themes connected to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This year’s themes were “Recycle the Runway”, “Be Ocean Wise”, and “Stronger and Greener Communities”. Students can create games within platforms like Minecraft or Roblox. They can also use free or open platforms like Scratch or Unity. I recently served as a juror for this year’s competition and I am looking forward to seeing the winning entries. The 2023 Virtual Awards Ceremony was hosted by HipHopGamer and the 2024 event is Thursday, May 23rd at 7:00 pm EDT. As an educator, I really appreciated seeing brilliant examples of socially-minded, creative problem-solving. I especially enjoyed looking through the G4C Game Directory and thinking about how video games can be used for prompting students’ thinking about important topics.
Narrative vs. Truth
Valiant Hearts tells an amazing story about World War I. I learned about WWI in History class, but I never cared about memorizing names, places, and dates. However, Valiant Hearts tells a very human story about characters’ relationships and choices. The game also includes interesting facts about the scenarios being portrayed. The inclusion of tiny details grounded the game in time and made me further appreciate the challenges and hardships of that time. Recorded history is often a story or account of events from the perspective of an individual or group. Valiant Hearts presents opportunities to consider if the value in history lies in accuracy or narrative impact of the story.
The Pain of Growing Up
Florence is a superb example of interactive storytelling. When students read literature, they have to engage with the content to make meaning. Florence‘s gameplay does this in fascinating and innovative ways. The player decodes the characters’ interactions to advance the game like a reader decodes language to advance a through a piece of writing. The main character’s struggles through relationships and early adulthood invite the player to reflect on how their unique experiences influence their engagement with the story.
Technology and Humanity
Tacoma is about humans living on a space station in 2088. The game explores the characters’ relationships and actions while also posing thoughtful questions about artificial intelligence. Tacoma also invites the player to consider how integration with technology may influence interactions with other human beings. Students in 2024 are growing up with technology as an integral part of their lives and Tacoma creatively depicts the co-evolution of humanity and technology.
Supporting Impact Games
Video games are very useful for helping students to examine nuanced issues. Making video games requires computational thinking, which is also useful for developing advanced thinking skills. If you interact with young people interested in gaming or curious to know more about high-quality impact games, I recommend learning more about Games for Change and checking out the June Festival. I also suggest iThrive Games to learn more about the research and design aspects of video games that can support young thinkers. There are also organizations like Girls Who Code that help students develop valuable programming skills. Of course, keep an eye on the Games for Change Student Challenge for projects by young people who will be the future’s creators and problem-solvers.
