Recap of Day 1 of #G4C2024: G4C Awards, After Parties, and New Programs! 🎮 🚀

What an amazing night at #G4C2024! Tonight, we unveiled the 2024 G4C Award Ceremony winners, hosted live by the incredible Anjali Bhimani, best known for her roles in Overwatch, Apex, and Mrs. Marvel. 🚀

With over 300 submissions from 53 countries, we saw an incredible 44% increase in submissions this year. Our esteemed panel of expert judges from cross-sector backgrounds thoroughly assessed each entry based on its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, engaging gameplay mechanics, educational value, and positive social impact themes.

The winners of the 2024 G4C Awards are:  

In addition to games and immersive media, we also celebrated organizations and individuals making a positive impact in the games space. Twitch was honored with the G4C Giving Award, Minecraft received the G4C Industry Leadership Award, Venba won the G4C Indie Breakout Award, and Alyssa Sweetman was recognized as this year's G4C Vanguard Award recipient. 🏅

Make sure to check out all of the nominees and winning games at the G4C Arcade by clicking the button below!

Not only did we unveil the winners of the 2024 G4C Awards, but G4C President Susanna Pollack and Jon Chong from Google Play also announced the winner and honorable mentions for the Diverse Stories, New Voices Challenge in partnership with Google and HP, as well as the opening of the third annual challenge for the upcoming 2025 Diverse Stories, New Voices Challenge. This edition will support creators in bringing existing games to Android, with up to three winners receiving a $15,000 prize, guidance, and marketing opportunities. 🚀

The challenge aims to increase visibility for mobile Android games created by underrepresented game developers and help players discover games that include more diverse characters, voices, and stories, with a grand prize of $10,000! With submissions from 24 different countries across five continents, this program highlights its global reach and impact. 📱🎮

More will be announced soon, so keep an eye out for updates and your chance to participate! 🚀

🎉 Get excited for Day 2 of #G4C2024 featuring panels, talks, and workshops with industry experts and innovators sharing and discussing cross-sector applications of immersive tech, XR, and games for social impact. Take a look at some sessions you won't want to miss:

🎮 Talk | From Player Passion to Global Impact – A Journey of Creation, Learning, and Change at 10:30 AM on the Main Stage. Explore Unity for Humanity and how it empowers a new generation to make a difference with Jessica Lindl, Sarah Ticho, Darcelis Gutierrez, and idris brewster!

🗽 Meet the Funders | Empire State Development at 12:30 PM in room U502 + U503 with Shaelyn Giampetroni from Empire State Development. Learn more about New York State’s new Digital Game Development Program designed to accelerate and attract economic development by offsetting some production costs associated with producing digital games in New York State. 

💬 Panel | Why Representation in Games is Worth It at 2:00 PM on the Main Stage. Hear experts including, Leanne Loombe, Chandana Ekanayake, Caitlin Shell, and Matt Daigle, as they discuss the importance of representation and who they prioritized making underrepresented players feel seen in their games.

🔑 Keynote | Staying Human: Being an Artist in the Age of Technology at 5:30 PM on the Main Stage featuring Anjali Bhimani as she explores the challenges of maintaining a human connection with our audience as technology becomes more and more advanced and inextricably linked to communication and artistry.

👥 This is your last chance to ​network at the Festival! Connect with change-maker​s from all over the world with dedicated sections for ​speed networking,​ matchmaking, meet-the-funder sessions featuring leaders from Empire State Development, XPerience Studios and​ so much more.

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