Games for Good seeks to highlight the positive impact of video games

This week, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), in partnership with ITN Productions Industry News, is launching Games for Good. Airing this Friday, August 27, It’s a news-format program that is seeking to raise awareness of the games industry by placing it in a greater context within society. The goal, according to the announcement, is to highlight recent industry trends as educational, societal, and environmental tools.

“Games for Good is intended to share the positive power of change, collaboration, and career opportunities that are part of games and the game industry,” Renee Gittins, executive director of the IGDA, told GameDaily.

She explained that the program was concepted upon three primary tenets: the passion of game developers, video games as an art form, and the medium’s impact on the world. This last point is especially prudent when you consider the role video games have played amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Games and game development are positive influences in this world, and help people get through tough situations and dark days,” Gittins noted.

Regarding the timing of the announcement, Gittins cited the age-old belief that video games are a catalyst for real-world violence. Such accusations remain prevalent, despite research debunking the link.

“We have seen many mixed messages about video games over the years, from misled accusations of video games causing violence to concerns about children’s interactions with games themselves,” Gittins said.

If anything, the pandemic highlights the positive impact games can have on mental health amid extreme physical isolation, a tenet that Gittins hopes to convey via Games for Good.

“With the pandemic we are facing, even WHO recommends video games as an effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19 and maintain one’s mental health, and we hope to shine a light on the benefits of games for this kind of support and beyond while it can help people most,” she said.

This is the overall goal of Games for Good, to showcase all the benefits that come from the games industry. The show will cover how this happens by highlighting different organizations and individuals who are working to create a positive change.

“I hope that this will shine a light on these positive efforts for those who may not be aware of them and demonstrate that games and the developers of them are striving to make our world a better place for everyone,” Gittins explained. “I am looking forward to sharing the great work happening within and by this industry that I love so much.”