Level Up in May: G4C2026 Speakers, Student Challenge Awards Ceremony & Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month! 💫

We’re excited to announce the  first wave of speakers for G4C2026, happening this July 21-22 at the Glasshouse in New York City, as we explore this year’s theme, “Reimagining Play.” Join us in welcoming

• Alan Lewis (Head of Global Corporate Communications, Take-Two Interactive)

• Constance Steinkuehler (Professor of Informatics, University of California, Irvine) 

• Dominic Law (CEO, Neopets) 

• Jesse Schell (CEO, Schell Games) 

• Lily Li (Producer, EA Games) 

• Manon Dave (Head of Future World Design, BBC R&D)

• Mathias Gredal Nørvig (CEO, SYBO) 

• Rachel Kowert (Researcher, University of Cambridge)

• Sara DeWitt (Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS and Education, PBS) 

• Stanley Pierre-Louis (President & CEO, Entertainment Software Association)

This year's programming spans sessions, Topic Tables, networking, and the G4C Arcade across both Festival days. New this year, the Playtest Lab pairs creators of early-stage games and immersive works with review panels for structured feedback on accessibility and inclusivity. The G4C Awards ceremony, celebrating the year's most impactful games and immersive experiences, will close out Day 1.

Additional speakers and program details will be announced in the coming weeks. Discounts are available for nonprofits, educators, and students!

We are excited to see you all at #G4C2026! 🎮✨

Join us for the 11th Annual G4C Student Challenge Awards Ceremony hosted by award-winning actress Anjali Bhimani as we honor this year’s finalists and winners on May 28 at 4 PM ET!  🏆✨

Students from around the globe dove into game development, cultivating spaces for their creativity to design original social impact games, artwork, and game trailers addressing social issues. Harnessing their creativity to champion social causes, deeply engage in game design, and collaborate with each other, students created games focused on this year’s impact themes:

🚘 Own the Road (Supported by General Motors)

🍎 Outgrow Hunger (Powered by World Food Program USA)

🪸 All in for Nature: Reefs & Rainforests (Supported by Playing for the Planet)

Join us for the Awards Ceremony to celebrate the dedication of these future leaders and this year’s program!

Games for Change Türkiye hosted a successful Next Gen Summit May 5- 7 at Bahçeşehir University, Galata Campus, where participants attended informative talks by industry professionals, met and networked with the teams behind indie studios, and developed their own ideas. See all the fun on their Instagram!

▶ This past April, Games for Change came together with Games for Change Africa, The Pan African Gaming Group (PAGG), and Playing for the Planet to host the first international convening of the Games & SDG Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. Read all about it in a blog published by our President, Susanna Pollack. Read it here

▶ Kyusai Media spotlights G4C’s initiatives to bridge the gap between parents and children with our Raising Good Gamers Initiative. You can read the full article here

▶ The New York Times recently published an opinion piece arguing that schools should pull back from laptops and "learning games." Our Chief Operating and Programs Officer, Arana Shapiro, wrote a response. Read it here

▶ We’re proud to announce that our President, Susanna Pollack, has received the Visionary Award for the GamesBeat Boss Mode: Women Leaders in Games, Entertainment, Media & Technology Awards! Taking place at the GamesBeat Summit May 18 - 19 in Los Angeles, the awards honor women leaders who shape the business of games, media, and technology. Use CODE: GBS26BossMode for 25% off regular tickets

▶ Explore the behind-the-scenes of the first edition of Roots & Pixels, a VLIRUOS (International Training program) that connects woman-identifying game developers across Belgium, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. Learn more here

▶ D.I.C.E. Athens is a 3-day conference featuring insightful speaker programming and an intimate exchange of ideas with top talent on topical issues affecting the business and art of #gamedev. Find more info @ https://www.diceeurope.org/ & register using our exclusive 10% discount code:  DICEATHENSGFC10

▶ The IGNITE Impact Challenge is offering students a chance to practice storytelling, observation, and civic awareness while competing for cash prizes. Submissions close May 29th. Learn more here 

In honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month, we’re celebrating games created by AAPI game developers and featuring AAPI characters. We hope you enjoy these games and continue to support AAPI creatives this month and beyond! 🧡💫