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Pressemitteilung

Games For Change Festival Unveils 2021 Award Finalists; Will Honor Niantic, Games Done Quick, and Mark Barlet of the AbleGamers Foundation for their Impact and Support of the Gaming Industry

The organization unveils its annual G4C Awards finalists; will honor Niantic, Games Done Quick, and Mark Barlet of the AbleGamers Foundation for their impact and support of the gaming industry.

NEW YORK (June 3, 2021) – Games For Change, the leading global advocate for the power of games as drivers of social impact, announced the finalists for the 18th annual Games For Change Awards. The organization also revealed Niantic as the 2021 G4C Industry Leadership Award recipient for the company’s ongoing work in social justice, the environment, and well-being. Games Done Quick will be recognized as the recipient of the 2021 G4C Giving Award for their community speed-running events, which have raised over $30 million for charity over the past decade. Finally, Mark Barlet of AbleGamers Foundation will be honored with the Vanguard Award for continuing to champion accessibility and amplifying the voices of disabled gamers.
 

The Games For Change Awards will be streamed at 7:30 pm EDT on July 12, 2021, as part of the virtual, three-day Games For Change Festival, July 12 - 14. Click here to register for free and attend the 2021 G4C Virtual Festival.
 

"It is an honor to receive this award from Games for Change," said Games Done Quick founder Mike Uyama. "Ever since Games Done Quick started in my mom's basement back in 2010, I would have never imagined we would raise over 30 million dollars for a variety of great causes. We are humbled to receive this award, and it is all thanks to so many people who help make this event possible: the speedrunning community, runners, volunteers, viewers, and donors who contribute to our events."
 

“Games for Change has always held a special place in my social calendar," says Founder of AbleGamers, Mark Barlet. "I have made life-changing connections with amazing people that have permanently moved the needle in making the world a better place. I am honored to be chosen as the recipient of the Vanguard Award. To be recognized by such a fantastic organization means so much to me and the AbleGamers’ mission of enabling play to combat social isolation to improve the lives of people with disabilities. “
 

This year’s awards are the most competitive and global in the Festival history – with over 200 submissions across six categories: Best Gameplay, Most Innovative, Most Significant Impact, Best Learning Game, Best Student Game, and Best XR for Change.
 

A group of 65 game developers, researchers, and experts in game design reviewed the games and selected the finalists. Game entries came from established AAA studios, indie developers, and university-level students, exemplifying this year’s Games For Change Festival themes of imagining, igniting, and inspiring the future of social impact.
 

"This year, many of the G4C Awards finalist games are from emerging developers," said Susanna Pollack, President of Games for Change. "More than half of our finalists are from international teams, with studios from the US, Canada, England, France, Germany, Chile, and Korea. We are thrilled that the finalists reflect the global audience of the greater Games for Change community."
 

The 2021 Game For Change Award finalists include:
 

Best Gameplay
 

Most Innovative

  • Suzerain from Torpor Games (Microsoft Windows, macOS)

  • A Fold Apart from Lightning Rod Games (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Apple Arcade, Xbox One)

  • Before I Forget from 3-Fold Games (Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS)

  • Lost Words: Beyond the Page from Sketchbook Games (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One)
     

Best Learning Game

Most Significant Impact

Best Student Game

  • Heirloom from Abby Sherlock, Kathryn Yu of USC Games (Windows, macOS)

  • Moving from Claire Hu and Meny Menczel of USC Games (Microsoft Windows, Mac, Android)

  • Respite from Kayden Chan/Klaiis (Sheridan College), Luxiere (Microsoft Windows, macOS)

  • SYNDESI from SYNDESI Team, Produced by Léa PERNOT & Adrien DAUGY of ISART DIGITAL (PC, Mac, Linux)
     

Best XR for Change

  • Kinfolk from Movers & Shakers NYC (Android, iOS)

  • Once Upon a Sea from Blimey and Intuitive Pictures (Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive)

  • Pandemic by Prisms from Prisms of Reality, Inc. (Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest)

  • Quadcade from MICA Game Lab (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Quadstick [External Hardware])
     

Additionally, 13 games from the Best Gameplay, Most Innovative, Most Significant Impact, and Best Learning Game categories are eligible for the “G4C People’s Choice” Award, presented by Facebook Gaming.

“Facebook Gaming is once again proud to sponsor Games For Change, and we're excited to see who will win the 2021 People's Choice Award. In an increasingly virtual world, the role that games have in pushing society forward is bigger than ever before," said Luis Renato Olivalves, Head of Gaming Creators, Facebook Gaming. Voting for the G4C People's Choice Award closes on July 2nd.
 

For more information about the award finalists and the judging process, visit the G4C Virtual Festival Awards page.
 

About Games For Change

Since 2004, Games For Change (G4C) has been empowering game creators and innovators to drive real-world change, using games and immersive media that help people learn, improve their communities, and contribute to making the world a better place. G4C partners with technology and gaming companies and nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies, to run world-class events, public arcades, design challenges, and youth programs. G4C supports a global community of game developers working to use games to tackle real-world challenges, from humanitarian conflicts to climate change and education.
 

About Niantic, Inc.

Niantic is a leading AR company, inspiring people to explore the world together. Our signature slate of products -- Ingress, Pokémon GO, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite -- reaches a global community of tens of millions of Niantic explorers. The Niantic Platform offers creators cross-platform APIs and tools that simplify the development of AR applications for current and future mobile devices. For more information, visit www.NianticLabs.com and Twitter nianticlabs.
 

About Games Done Quick

Games Done Quick is a series of charity video game marathons. These events feature high-level gameplay by speedrunners raising money for charity. Since 2010, Games Done Quick has raised more than $31 million for charities around the world, including Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Direct Relief, AbleGamers, Malala Fund, and Organization for Autism Research. For more information, please visit gamesdonequick.com
 

About AbleGamers Charity

The AbleGamers Charity is a 501(c)3 charity that continually strives to create opportunities to enable play to foster inclusive communities, combat social isolation, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. Through received support and donations, AbleGamers provides disabled gamers with assistive technologies (including their Expansion Pack program) that allow those with limited real-world mobility to experience what it is like to walk, run, climb, drive and even fly – in a virtual world. AbleGamers additionally advises developers and publishers on how to best incorporate accessibility options so that their video game titles may reach and appeal to the widest and most diverse audience possible. To read AbleGamers articles, or to find out how your support or donations can help them positively impact an even greater number of individuals with disabilities, please visit www.ablegamers.org.

For more information or to receive a Festival Press Pass:

Mabel Chung

Zebra Partners on behalf of Games For Change

Mabel@zebrapartners.net

Link to Press Kit:

https://www.zebrapartners.net/games-for-change-press-kit/