In the shadow of E3, this other festival gathers to discuss the impact of gaming

The video game industry’s biggest show of the year took over Los Angeles last week, dousing the movie-centric town with a dose of virtual, augmented and computer-created reality.

E3 was a week of tech-fueled news and big games with guns, dragons, space and warfare.

This week, a different side of the industry slips into New York City to talk less about how games can make money and more about how these immersive, artistic creations can change minds.

The 13th annual Games for Change festival draws speakers from around the world to discuss, debate and weigh in on topics as varied as violence and games, video game as FDA-approved medical treatment and the future of museums.

This year, the show is broken down into three distinct tracts: games for learning, neurogaming and health, and civics and social issues.

Polygon will be on site covering the talks, and I am participating in one of them, but earlier this week, I chatted with Games for Change president Susanna Pollack about the show, what it hopes to do and what people can expect from this year’s collection of talks.