Games can be more powerful than you think. The Japanese branch of the International Game Developers Association has held the Fukushima Game Jam every year since August 2011, in an effort to encourage renewal and revival -- both within the industry, and in the world beyond. As part of the Advocacy track of talks at GDC 2014, IGDA Japan vice president Toshifumi Nakabayashi spoke at length about the experience and showed how developers can use game jams as a way to encourage philanthropy. Nakabayashi, who also serves as CEO of Cyberz, Inc., explained the challenges faced by the organizers of the Fukushima Game Jam and showcased how they succeeded using real-world examples. Along the way he also explored the concept of philanthropic game jams, and revealed how organizers can increase participation and contribute to the revival of an entire community. It's a unique talk that holds learnings for developers of all stripes, so we've gone ahead and embedded the free video of "Revival from the Great East Japan Earthquake by Fukushima Game Jam" above. You can also watch it (translated into English) here on the GDC Vault. You can watch the Japanese language version here.

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