Games for Change festival begins April 22, introduces new events

The 11th Annual Games for Change festival, a New York-based festival that focuses the “positive social impact of games,” will be held April 22-24 at NYU’s Skirball Center, the event’s organizers announced recently.

Traditionally held mid-June, 2014’s festival will welcome three new events such as an on-stage pitch market where developers will have the opportunity to present games to potential funders. The festival will introduce speed networking for industry professionals, including developers, producers and funders. Next year’s event will also offer an outdoor games arcade located on the streets of Manhattan.

Event organizers are expected to put a call out for interested parties to submit talks and games on Jan. 6.

The 10th Annual Games for Change festival featured panels on MinecraftEdu, the STEM Video Game Challenge and many more. Amongst others, the event’s speakers included Puzzle Clubhouse creator and Carnegie Mellon faculty member Jesse Schell and Loot Drop co-founder Brenda Romero, who discussed the power games have to move us emotionally.