MRT: Beyond Game Play: Developing Youth Identity as Civic Minded Game Designers

In this panel, we will explore how games and game play can shape young people’s identities as game designers, with a focus on social and civic issues. Through innovative programs, youth are taught not just to interact with games, but to be part of an iterative process where they design games about issues such as climate change and human rights.  In one program, Global Kids and the New York Public Library worked with youth to create a location-based game using mobile devices about local history and broader social issues.  In another program, E-Line Media and Global Kids worked with youth to create social impact games, while introducing them to game professionals and having them teach other youth about game design.  In a third program between New York University’s Games for Learning Institute and Global Kids, middle school girls designed games to teach their peers difficult math concepts.  Lessons from these programs highlight how youth go beyond playing games to design and create games that shape their identities as both game designers and socially-responsible citizens.