Games Without Borders Youth Challenge

Contest Materials

 

Get a team together and start today! Send questions and submissions to games@world-affairs.org.

**Play this example game to help you think about designing your own game for the challenge!               Ayiti: The Cost of Life http://www.voicesofyouth.org/sections/poverty-and-hunger/pages/ayiti-the-cost-of-life

Volunteer Judges

Are you a game developer interested in raising global awareness? Global Classroom needs you! We are looking for volunteer judges to volunteer two or three hours of their time to help us evaluate our submissions. We send out all material electronically, so you can volunteer your time from home!

Judge Contact Form – This form contains more details and is the first step towards getting involved with this exciting opportunity.

Contact Forms and other inquiries can be sent to Nathan Sharpe at games@world-affairs.org

About the Youth Challenge

For thirteen years the World Affairs Council has organized an annual essay contest. This year, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the World Affairs Council, we are looking into the future toward our next 60 years of facilitating increased awareness of global issues.  Recognizing both the role of games in students’ lives and the educational potential of games the World Affairs Council announces this challenge for young people in WA State.

  • Who: Students in 4th through 12th grades, individually or in teams of up to four
  • What: Submit your game design/proposal for an educational game on a global topic (may be a board game, a video game, or whatever type of game you choose)
  • When: Submission deadline is Wednesday, April 4, 2012
  • Why: Games that are fun and increase global awareness are hard to find. You can be a pioneer in this field! We challenge you to create a game that your friends will love to play and that will raise global awareness.

Awards

The designers of the most innovative ideas, as judged by a panel of volunteer judges, will be invited to tour a local game company headquarters and learn about how games are developed.  They will also receive a certificate and will be recognized on our website. Judges will also be able to award Achievements for particular elements of an entry that stand out.

Topics

Game topics may include geography, migration, travel, and international cultures; or global issues such as climate change, global health, violent conflict, the global economy, or international development.

Games

The proposed game may be a video game, a board game, a card game, or any other type of game.  We suggest that you first research your topic thoroughly, and then decide what type of game will be the best fit for getting across the main points or concepts.  Also, take a look at our getting started guide for examples of other learning games and see how they succeed in helping players learn about their topics.