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Dear friends of Games for Change,

As the recently appointed Co-Presidents of Games for Change, we are honored to have the opportunity to build upon the tremendous work that the founders of the organization and members of the community have created over these past six years.

We would like to acknowledge that this year's Games for Change Festival was bittersweet for many. As you know Suzanne Seggerman, one of the Co-Founders and former President stepped down in April, but not before programming this year's watershed event. The 7th annual Festival was the organization's most successful ever - it was the largest, with more than 600 attendees, and the most diverse in terms of its content and speakers, including the US Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, the Honorable Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and numerous thought leaders in media, education and technology.

We would also like to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of departing Executive Director Alex Quinn, who helmed the organization for the past three years before stepping down in July. He has made the transition a seamless one for us, and we are extremely appreciative. And finally, we would like to thank and acknowledge the organization's Board of Directors, and in particular Alan Gershenfeld, Board Chairman, for their guidance and commitment to us during this period of transition for the organization. 

It is extremely exciting to know that what began as a small gathering of activists from across the country interested in using games to "change the world," has grown into a vibrant global community of thousands. The question of "why games" has evolved into "how games" and it is asked everywhere - from educators to the gaming industry to the public sector to foundations and everyone in-between. It's at this exciting juncture that we're assuming responsibility for guiding the organization through its next evolution, one in which our success will only be possible with the support and engagement of everyone in the community. 

We look forward to connecting with you and ensuring that the Games for Change community continues to evolve into a truly sustainable ecosystem of makers, funders, researchers and audiences for social impact games.

Sincerely,

   

Our new office info

Our friends at the design firm EMPAX are graciously hosting us until we move into our  permanent new space in  a couple of months. Our temporary address:  
27 West 24th Street, Suite 9D, New York, NY 10010 / Tel: 212.242.4922
Contacting Asi and Michelle



Asi Burak
asi@gamesforchange.org 
@aburak



Michelle Byrd
michelle@gamesforchange.org
@mbyrd

New Leadership Announced

On July 1st, the Board of Directors of Games for Change announced the appointment of Asi Burak and Michelle Byrd as Co-Presidents of Games for Change, the leading global advocate for making and supporting digital social impact games.  

Asi will take the lead on the curation, development, and execution of programs and services to raise the production, quality and influence of social impact games, and serves as a spokesperson for the organization. Michelle will take the lead on institutional relationship and partnership efforts, along with fundraising, business affairs, financial management, and communications strategy. Together we will work on the strategic vision of the organization and will jointly oversee all programmatic initiatives.

For more on us click here.

What's Ahead


You will soon see some changes from us in terms of communication. We'd like to ensure that we maintain the listserv as a forum for serious inquiry, opportunities and feedback. It will remain more or less as it has been - a self-monitored, real-time, direct dialogue between community members. At the same time, we will be implementing a bi-monthly opt-in newsletter to share with you some of the projects that the team is working on and events we're attending around the globe and where we hope to connect with you. You'll also start seeing changes to the website - including a resource bank where we will aggregate lists of game consultants, developers, funders and publishers of social impact games. All of this as a complement to our game channel on the site, something we're in the process of refreshing.
 
Whether you are creating games, interested in funding games or exploring ways in which playing games can positively impact society, we are here to help you. We know it's a cliché to say that our door is open, but... our door is, in fact, open! We want to hear from you, connect you with others in the community, and determine concrete ways in which the organization can aid in the development of new social impact game projects. We want to hear from you - about what we're doing right and where we could do better. And we want you to know what we're doing, particularly as we look to develop programs and activities outside of the Festival.