Games for Change’s 14th festival showcases social impact with diverse finalists (update)

The game industry has a growing number of festivals that tackle issues such as diversity, like the Game Devs of Color Expo and the GaymerX Convention, but the Games for Change Festival is still the only one that focuses solely on social and educational impact in games. Now in its 14th year, the event is prepping for its July 31 to August 2 run in New York City. As in the past, it will feature panels and demos examining the intersection of games and other fields such as neuroscience and public policy, as well as awards for innovative and impactful titles.

“Our mission is to support and empower game creators and innovators to drive change in games,” said Susanna Pollack, the president of Games for Change, in a phone call with GamesBeat. “We’ve found over the last 14 years we’ve been running the festival that we have a growing community of participants in this space, ranging from both game designers and game developers making great content, but also a community of researchers, scientists, academics, and more and more nonprofits and government agencies and brands that see the value games have inside and outside their individual domains.”