Regular Priced Tickets are now on sale for G4C2026 💫
We’re just 3 months away from our annual Games for Change Festival (#G4C2026)!
For two days, July 21-22, at The Glasshouse in New York City, we’ll explore this year’s theme, “Reimagining Play,” as an evolving practice for understanding complex issues, experimenting with ideas, and imagining new futures, and focus on how games and immersive media continue to shape learning, creativity, and social impact. 🎮
#G4C2026 will have:
🕹️ The G4C Festival Arcade, where you can experience games and immersive media from creators around the world
🎤 Thought- provoking discussions, panels, workshops, and NEW Playtesting lab with cross-sector leaders from the gaming, NGO, and social impact community
🗣️ Networking Opportunities, where participants can make their next great connection through G4C’s dynamic community
🏆 The G4C Awards, our annual ceremony, uplifting the year’s best in social impact gaming & interactive media
🫴 Upgraded attendee experience with new hospitality offerings, including lunch both days
✨Regular Pricing is available until July 3– don’t miss out! Click the link in our bio 🎟️
We’re proud to share the Games for Change 2025 Impact Report 💫
This year, our global community came together to expand access to game-based learning, uplift creators, and celebrate the power of play to drive real-world impact — from classrooms and student game jams to international festivals and industry partnerships.
🎮 Game-based learning across classrooms worldwide 🌍 Programs and partnerships spanning the globe 🏆 100 award-winning games and experiences recognized
Tap the link in our bio to explore the full report and see what we accomplished together.
As we near the reveal of the 2026 G4C Student Challenge winners at the May 28th Student Challenge Awards Ceremony, we would like to take this opportunity to spotlight a few of this year’s finalists from each theme and want to thank the incredible organizations that powered this year's competition.
The G4C Student Challenge brought together youth ages 10–25 to design a game inspired by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and compete for a $10,000 scholarship while building storytelling, STEM, and creative problem-solving skills. Participants explored the themes:
🚘 Own the Road (Supported by General Motors | @generalmotors )
🍎 Outgrow Hunger (Powered by World Food Program USA | @wfpusa )
🪸 All in for Nature: Reefs & Rainforests (Supported by Playing for the Planet | @playing4theplanet )
Take a sneak peek at some of this year’s finalists from the theme categories and their innovative games. Come see all the finalists at our Awards Ceremony, hosted by the talented Anjali Bhimani (@sweeetanj ), where we’ll celebrate the dedication of these future leaders and discover the power of play, on May 28th at 4 pm EST!
🔗RSVP for the 2026 Student Challenge Awards Ceremony via the link in our bio.
The 2026 Games for Change Festival is 2 months away, and we're thrilled to share the first wave of speakers who will be "Reimagining Play." This year's program brings together leaders from games, education, research, and media at The Glasshouse in New York City, July 21-22, including:
👾Alan Lewis (Head of Global Corporate Communications, Take-Two Interactive)
👾Constance Steinkuehler (Professor of Informatics, University of California, Irvine)
👾Dominic Law (CEO, Neopets)
👾Jesse Schell (CEO, Schell Games)
👾Lily Li (Producer, EA Games)
👾Manon Dave (Head of Future World Design, BBC R&D)
👾Mathias Gredal Nørvig (CEO, SYBO)
👾Rachel Kowert (Researcher, University of Cambridge)
👾Sara DeWitt (Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS and Education, PBS)
👾Stanley Pierre-Louis (President & CEO, Entertainment Software Association)
More speakers and programming announcements coming soon. Get tickets and explore the full lineup via link in bio 🎟️ #G4C2026
NEW SESSION ANNOUNCED — Exclusively at GamesBeat Summit 2026
What does it actually take to shift the narrative on gaming from misunderstood pastime to a force for culture, learning, connection, and positive impact?
At GamesBeat Summit 2026, Jude Ower, Mathias Nørvig, and Faisal Kazim take the stage to make a special, hot-off-the-press announcement with the Dubai Film and Games Commission — and explore why the 60% of people who don't play games need to hear a different story. Moderated by Susanna Pollack, sponsored by the Good Game Club Podcast.
This is a deep look at how the industry's most passionate advocates are rewriting the headlines for mainstream media, policymakers, parents, and the decision makers who shape gaming's future.
1 week until the most powerful reunion in the $200B industry begins in Los Angeles.
Where global leaders reconnect, new power players emerge, and the biggest deals of the year get done. Secure your place now.
May 18–19 | Los Angeles → Tickets: events.gamesbeat.com/summit26
Our first Next-Gen Summit has officially come to an end! 🎮✨
Over three incredible days, we brought together more than 100 high school students from 15 different high schools with studios, communities, and mentors to explore the world of games beyond entertainment.
From inspiring talks and workshops to networking, game showcases, and creative idea development sessions, it was amazing to see students’ curiosity, creativity, and excitement for the future of games.
A special thank you to our speakers Metin Ünüvar, Havva Nur Solhan, Nihan İşler, Burak Tezateşer, Berfin Özge Yakar, and Can Oral for sharing their experiences and inspiring our participants throughout the summit.
We would also like to thank our workshop mentors Metin Ünüvar, Nihan İşler, Can Oral, and Zeynep Burcu Kaya Alpan for their engaging, inspiring, and informative workshops.
And of course, a huge thank you to our amazing volunteers who made this event possible. We truly could not have done it without your support 💙
Finally, thank you to every student who became part of our very first Next-Gen Summit. Your energy made these three days truly special 💙
This is only the beginning ✨ @bahcesehiruniversity@bau_iletisim
As we continue celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week, we wanted to spotlight this year’s G4C Student Challenge Leadership Award recipients, Bari Etheredge and Oleksii Izvalov!
We are grateful for their support throughout the G4C Student Challenge and excited to celebrate them during our 2026 Student Challenge Awards Ceremony! 🍎🕹️
Bari Etheredge | Middle School Teacher ✨
“The G4C Student Challenge has become a bigger and bigger part of my curriculum. Most importantly, countless students are heading to high school with “future-ready” skills and new understandings of some of the world’s biggest challenges from the program.”
Oleksii Izvalov | Degree Coordinator in Game Development ✨
“Student Challenge is an awesome initiative! Intense teamwork provides practical grasp of the most required skills in game development. It's important that for many of the students the result is their very first game. I'm happy to see how they show their creation in class or at the demo days.”
Shout out to all the teachers sparking creativity through game-based learning and turning play into purpose. We appreciate you this week and beyond.
Join us on May 28th at 4 PM ET as we celebrate these educators and their students at our G4C Student Challenge Award Ceremony! 🏆
Join the celebration with us and RSVP via the link in our bio
Happy Teacher Appreciation Day 📚✨
Educators play a pivotal role in Games for Change’s mission to provide youth with opportunities to explore play-based learning and support them as they innovate, create, and lead using games and immersive media.
We are forever grateful for their enthusiasm in empowering students and helping shape them into future leaders. Shout out to all the educators around the world, we appreciate you today and forever ❤️
The countdown is officially on! Join us for the 11th Annual G4C Student Challenge Awards Ceremony hosted by award-winning actress Anjali Bhimani (@sweeetanj ) as we honor this year’s youth game developers on May 28 at 4 PM ET! 🏆✨
This year, students from around the globe dove into game development, cultivating spaces for their creativity to design original social impact games and artwork addressing social issues. Harnessing their creativity to champion social causes, deeply engage in game design, and collaborate with each other, students created games focused on this year’s impact themes.
🚘 Own the Road (Supported by General Motors | @generalmotors )
🍎 Outgrow Hunger (Powered by World Food Program USA | @wfpusa )
🪸 All in for Nature: Reefs & Rainforests (Supported by Playing for the Planet |@playing4theplanet )
Join us for the Awards Ceremony to celebrate the dedication of these future leaders and discover the power of play!
🔗 RSVP for the 2026 Student Challenge Awards Ceremony via the link in our bio!
TODAY is the LAST DAY left to submit for the Games for Change and @Roblox “Encourage Positive Connection and Wellbeing Game Design Challenge! 🌱💫
This challenge focuses on highlighting and addressing the real effects on well-being that today’s youth face as boundaries between real and online life blur through digital interactions. 🫂
Developers aged 18 and older are invited to create Roblox games that help players of all ages learn and practice skills that foster positive communities, improve mental health, or safeguard against online risks.
Winners will share:
🏆$25,000 in prize money
🏆 Receive mentorship from the Roblox team
🏆 Showcase their games at the 2026 G4C Festival in NYC (July 21-22)
Submissions are open now through April 17, 2026. Link in our bio! 🕹️✨
Take a look at our Immersive Storytelling Workshop in action ✨
Built around Eddie and I, the workshop brings VR, storytelling, reflection exercises, group scenarios, and guided discussion into the classroom, helping students explore communication, empathy, and patience.
We recently piloted the workshop, developed in collaboration with @mshfilmfoundation , at Motion Picture Technical High School in Queens, and the response reminded us why this work matters🫶
Thank you to @weareagog and @gamesforchange for helping bring this workshop to life.
Video edited by @danabra4 .
To learn more about the workshop and bring it to your school, visit our new website through the link in bio.
