Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: Games for Change, Games For Change Awards, Games For Change Awards 2017, Games for Change Festival

Games For Change Awards Announces The 2017 Finalists

Published Tue, 11 Jul 2017 22:45:04 -0500

by Madeline Ricchiuto

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The 2017 Games for Change Awards has announced their list of finalists for this year's awards which celebrate the year's best games for social impact at the 14th Annual Games for Change Festival, which will feature keynote speakers like, Megan Smith (former White House Chief Technology Officer), Gabo Arora (Founder and Creative Director of LightShed), Luke Crane (Head of Games at Kickstarter) and Anjali Bhimani (Actress/voice of Symmetra in "Overwatch" and Nisha in "Fallout: 4"). The winners will be announced on the evening of Monday, July 31. Which is the first night of the Games for Change festival in NYC.

A blue-ribbon jury featuring leaders of the gaming community, philanthropic sector, media, and tech selected eleven finalists in the following categories: Best Gameplay, Most Innovative, Most Significant Impact and Best Learning Game. All nominees will be considered for the top honor, Game of the Year, which is awarded to the game that best exemplifies all categories.

Due to the criteria that all of the games nominated for Games for Change Awards, most of these are from small, independent development teams, some of which are associated with various universities. Which makes the Games for Change Awards a pretty stand-out award ceremony in the sea of games award shows.

The finalists for the 2017 Games for Change Awards are:

BEST GAMEPLAY:

Minecraft: Education Edition
Sea Hero Quest
Tracking Ida

MOST INNOVATIVE:

Epistory – Typing Chronicles
Everything
PRY

MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACT:

Liyla and the Shadows of the War
Walden, A Game
Minecraft: Education Edition

BEST LEARNING GAME:

1979 Revolution: Black Friday
Dragonbox BIG Numbers
At Play in the Cosmos

"We are excited to announce the 2017 Games for Change Award finalists, bringing attention to games that are impacting people all around the world," said Susanna Pollack, President of Games for Change. "It is so amazing to see the evolution of these games year after year and how they become more diverse in the ways that they have an impact on society beyond entertainment."

The Games for Change Festival remains the leading international event that unites game creators with organizations and thought leaders who are incorporating gaming into diverse industries including: education, health and civic society. This year, the festival will have an expanded focus on virtual reality with the first VR for Change Summit. Over the years, the festival has played host to notable speakers ranging from Vice President Al Gore to the Honorable Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. For additional information on this year's keynote speakers and the latest news on all programming, you can check out the Games For Change Festival site.

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