Games For Change Festival Issues Call For Proposals

The Games for Change organization has issued a call for speakers, demos and award nominees for its 8th annual festival, taking place this June in New York City. Five to seven in-development games will be highlighted in the conference's demo spotlight, to be presented to a panel of potential funders and designers for feedback. Completed games can be submitted for consideration in Games for Change Award categories including Direct Impact, Learning & Education, Transmedia and the Knight News Game Award. As far as speakers, this year the conference is willing to hear ideas for "creative approaches" on topics including games to promote real-world action, games for underserved communities, games in education, games as art, and even skepticism around the premise of Games for Change. All proposals are due by March 14 and should be submitted by e-mail following the conference's guidelines [PDF]. Last year's festival featured keynotes from U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who highlighted games' use as teaching tools.