Games for Change

Happy Pride Month, Games for Change Community 🌈

We’re celebrating by uplifting innovative games with LGBTQ+ leads and by LGBTQ+ developers
From haunting gothic horror mysteries and epic action-adventures to cozy, heartwarming stories of community and connection, each of these games showcases the power of q***r storytelling. Through rich narratives and diverse representation, these creators use play to explore identity, build empathy, and foster deep emotional connections.

Swipe through to learn about each game and where you can play or wishlist it! We hope you enjoy these incredible worlds, and remember to support q***r games and creators this month and beyond. 🏳️‍🌈👾

Today is our first pre-festival virtual session: Access Ahead Pt. 2: A Practical Games Accessibility Crash Course. AbleToPlay founder Arman Nobari returns to deliver crucial insights for creators at every level. Backed by fresh research, this updated session teaches scalable, practical accessibility tactics from pre-production through post-launch, showing you how to build inclusive features sustainably without team crunch. ✨

📅 Monday, June 29 | 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM EDT

RSVP for today's session HERE: https://bit.ly/4wbvBkD

Pre-festival sessions are back! 💫

Gear up for with our first virtual session, Access Ahead Pt. 2: A Practical Games Accessibility Crash Course.

AbleToPlay founder Arman Nobari returns for this highly anticipated follow-up to last year's accessibility crash course. Fully updated to reflect recent industry shifts and backed by fresh, industry-wide research, this session will deliver crucial insights for creators at every level.

Key Takeaways:
✨ Practical accessibility tactics from pre-production through post-launch
✨ How to build inclusive features sustainably without team crunch
✨ Scalable steps you can apply to any team size or experience level

📅 Monday, June 29 | 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM EDT

RSVP today to secure your spot: https://bit.ly/4vtVv3d

Stay tuned for details on our next pre-festival session coming soon!

At SpecialEffect, we are incredibly honoured to be recognised as the Giving Award recipient at this year’s Games for Change Games for Change Festival! 🏆

The 2026 theme, Reimagining Play, examines how games and interactive media can be a force for social impact and creativity, and it means a lot to be included among the people and studios doing that work.

At SpecialEffect, we are transforming the lives of people with physical challenges right across the world through the innovative use of technology. At the core of this mission is their work to optimise inclusion, enjoyment and quality of life by helping people control video games to the best of their abilities.🧡🎮

See you at The Glasshouse in NYC for the G4C Awards on July 21! 🗽✨

IndieCade's Climate Jam is on the horizon ⭐️ 🌱

Want to create games that can contribute to a better tomorrow, the one we want to see?

This jam is for you & anyone interested in the world around us, from first-time creators to seasoned devs, and from anywhere on the planet.

IndieCade’s 8th annual Climate Jam is held online and designed to guide jammers through creating imaginative, engaging, and meaningful games that address climate change in a positive way. Let’s plant the seeds for our future together.

Do not miss out, jamming starts July 1st!

🔗 Sign up now on and explore IndieCade's website for more info here: https://bit.ly/4ez28LI

Pre-festival sessions are back! 💫

Gear up for with our first virtual session, Access Ahead Pt. 2: A Practical Games Accessibility Crash Course.

AbleToPlay founder Arman Nobari returns for this highly anticipated follow-up to last year's accessibility crash course. Fully updated to reflect recent industry shifts and backed by fresh, industry-wide research, this session will deliver crucial insights for creators at every level.

Key Takeaways:
✨ Practical accessibility tactics from pre-production through post-launch
✨ How to build inclusive features sustainably without team crunch
✨ Scalable steps you can apply to any team size or experience level

📅 Monday, June 29 | 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM EDT

RSVP today to secure your spot: https://bit.ly/4vtVv3d

Stay tuned for details on our next pre-festival session coming soon!

Celebrating the trailblazers reshaping the future of play 💫

These exceptional honorees are pushing the boundaries of interactive media—scaling global giving initiatives, revolutionizing accessibility, and embedding deep human connection into the core of game design. This year's recipients truly embody how video games can change the world.

Meet our honorees:
🏆 Vanguard Award — Jenn Panattoni (Aizle Impact / Xbox)
🏆 Industry Leadership — thatgamecompany
🏆 Giving Award — SpecialEffect

Join hosts Anjali Bhimani and Osric Chau as we celebrate these visionaries live at the G4C Awards Ceremony on July 21st! Regular-priced tickets are available until July 5, 2026, with discounts for nonprofits, educators, and students.

View the full lineup and register here:
https://bit.ly/4wpTupT 🎟️

Session Spotlight ⭐

Ready to explore how youth are finding their civic voice through play?

Join Mumtaz Tasneem Cooper, founder of Pencils not Prisons, a non-profit dedicated to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. Her session, “Democraverse: Reimagining Civic Power Through Play,” will explore the importance of reimagining justice through youth-developed games and how we can make civic learning engaging, accessible, and empowering for the next generation. 🧠✏️

Interested in sessions like this one? Tickets are on sale now https://bit.ly/4910dMQ 🎟️

Follow along as we continue to highlight sessions to be held at G4C2026 this July, where we’ll celebrate this year’s theme, “Reimagining Play.”

Congratulations to our 2026 cohort of Game Plan Fellows! 🎓

G4C Learn selected five incredible museum educators who previously participated in our Game Plan program to step into a fellowship. Our Game Plan Fellows wrapped an incredible season of learning and leadership. In just a few months, they:

- Strengthened their facilitation practice to lead game‑based PD at their museums
- Adapted Game Plan strategies for their own audiences
- Co‑facilitated sessions for a new educator cohort
- Built a community of practice grounded in collaboration
- Refined the curriculum to strengthen museum‑based game‑based learning worldwide

These educators stepped forward as emerging thought leaders, creating space for playful, purposeful learning across museum ecosystems.

We are so proud to honor:

👾Rosalie Wade | Frontiers of Flight Museum

👾Dr. Mistoria Brown| Frontiers of Flight Museum

👾Cari Fisch | MoMa

👾Ramzy Lakos | Seattle Art Museum

👾Alex Perez | American Museum of Natural History

It has been a pleasure working with you all. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.✨

Interested in programs like Game Plan? Check out the G4C Learn website to explore upcoming programs: https://bit.ly/4aiVlCm 📚🍎

Session Highlight 💫

We’re excited to welcome public media producers Angelina Shi and Jacob Schwitzer to our speaker lineup. Their session, “Powwow Bound: Creating Through Community Collaboration,“ will explore how fostering collaboration can build authentic storytelling for underrepresented groups. Using their 3D adventure game, Powwow Bound: A Menominee Homecoming, they will share best practices for community outreach, key development challenges, and lessons learned from digitally recreating the historic Menominee Woodland Bowl. 🕹️✨

Stay tuned as we spotlight upcoming sessions at G4C2026, dedicated to this year’s theme: 'Reimagining Play.' Tickets for G4C2026 are on sale now: https://bit.ly/4910dMQ 🎟️

South of Midnight is nominated for Best Gameplay and Best in Impact at the ! 🏆👾
Our game is rooted in folklore, empathy, and adventure, delivering a heartfelt story and magical gameplay that stay with you.
Congrats to all the finalists and see you in NYC this July Games for Change festival!