In its 7th year, the national game design competition invites students to design social impact games focused on voting rights, climate change and sustainability, and accessibility,<\/p>\n
Today, Games for Change (G4C) announced the 2021-2022 G4C Student Challenge, a national game design program, and competition that bridges students\u2019 passion for video games with civic engagement and digital storytelling. Now in its 7th year, the Student Challenge reaches thousands of middle and high school students across the country through hands-on, virtual game design courses, game jams, and a national game design competition.<\/p>\n
The G4C Student Challenge empowers students to see themselves as agents of change in the world and create games focused on timely social impact themes. G4C partners with cause-based organizations to host game jams and curate resources around the Challenge themes.<\/p>\n
Themes for the 2021-2022 program include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Last year, the Student Challenge program saw an unprecedented level of engagement from both students and educators, with over 275 teachers participating in the program and more than 1,500 talented students submitting original games into the competition. This year, the Student Challenge will reach even more educators by expanding their national reach and introducing new city-based partnerships in Pittsburgh and Seattle, in addition to the existing city partners: Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City.<\/p>\n To support educators in bringing the Student Challenge to their schools, G4C provides 10 hours of professional development for middle and high school educators based in challenge cities, with a focus on diverse and historically underserved schools. Students from anywhere in the U.S. are invited to enter the competition and participate in the program through the free game design curriculum available on the Student Challenge website, which includes modules for students, teachers, museum educators, and parents.<\/p>\n Students who enter the national competition have a chance to win prizes \u2014 including up to $10,000 in scholarships, generously provided by Take-Two Interactive. Students can also win special awards, including the Made with Unity Award in partnership with Unity\u2019s Social Impact division and the \u2018Fair Game Writing Challenge\u2019 in partnership with the New York Video Game Critics Circle.<\/p>\n The Challenge will also feature two new offerings for educators and students:<\/strong><\/p>\n As G4C\u2019s flagship learning program, the Student Challenge is part of a growing set of offerings for educators and youth that uses games and game design to promote computer science, STEM skills, and social-emotional learning \u2014 including Game Plan, a program that empowers museum educators to bring game design into youth programs, and Game Exchange, a virtual international exchange program that reimagines cross-cultural connections with game design.<\/p>\n \u201cThe G4C Student Challenge gets bigger and better every year, with a more robust curriculum and resources and new ways for students and teachers to join in. We\u2019re excited to build on the success of the Student Challenge by developing new G4C Learn programs and partnerships that meet the growing demand for immersive, student-centered learning experiences,\u201d said Arana Shapiro, Managing Director and Chief Learning Officer at Games for Change.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The 2021-2022 G4C Student Challenge is generously funded by General Motors, Riot Games, Take-Two Interactive, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, Verizon, the Bigglesworth Family Foundation, Best Buy Foundation, the Grable Foundation, and Motorola Solutions. City-based programs are supported by leading educational and community-based organizations, including Two Bit Circus Foundation, Cxmmunity, CMU ETC, and Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In its 7th year, the national game design competition invites students to design social impact games focused on voting rights, climate change and sustainability, and accessibility, Today, Games for Change (G4C) announced the 2021-2022 G4C Student Challenge, a national game design program, and competition that bridges students\u2019 passion for video games with civic engagement and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":139959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,82,83,79],"tags":[1842,8097,19176],"genre":[],"developed-by":[],"publisher":[],"platforms":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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