adminThe Games for Change Festival is expanding beyond New York, with Arizona set to host the event in 2027. The move is part of a new schedule that will bring the festival to a different city during odd-numbered years while keeping New York as its home in even-numbered years.
Image credit: Games for Change
Games for Change Festival heads to Arizona in 2027
Games for Change (G4C), a New York-based nonprofit organisation, has partnered with Arizona State University (ASU) for the 2027 festival. The event is scheduled for October 11 to 13, bringing its programme to Arizona for the first time under the new arrangement.
ASU’s Endless Games and Learning Lab will support festival participants and provide access to game design courses. The partners also plan to work together on research involving artificial intelligence, game ecosystems and the use of games in workplace learning.
For prospective attendees, the three-day dates are useful for early travel planning. Programme details and practical information can be checked as the event approaches, particularly for course access and research activities.
A rotating schedule and a return to three days
After the Arizona edition, the festival is expected to return to New York in even-numbered years. G4C is also bringing back a three-day schedule, following increased attendance. This year’s event drew roughly 1,000 in-person visitors.
Games for Change president Susanna Pollack said the move is intended to make the festival accessible to a wider group of creators, developers, educators and researchers. Hosting the event in a new location may also help participants from different communities take part in conversations about games and their social impact.
Mark Ollila, founding director of ASU’s Endless Games and Learning Lab, highlighted microcredentials and competency-based learning as areas of interest. He described the lab’s approach as “make to learn, play to learn and learn to earn,” using games to support skills development, exploration and economic opportunity.
Other Games for Change initiatives
The Arizona partnership follows G4C’s collaboration with the London Games Festival on its first Games for Change London Summit, held on April 15. The summit brought together industry professionals, educators, policymakers and innovators to discuss how games can contribute to positive social change.
G4C has also announced its latest awards. Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight received both Game of the Year and Experience of the Year. Hexecutable’s Consume Me won Best Narrative, Best Gameplay and the Indie Breakout Award, while Thatgamecompany received the Industry Leader Award.
In addition, the organisation published its Raising Good Gamers report. The report offers guidance for supporting families who play games and argues that parental concerns should be considered using evidence rather than fear. Families can use this approach to focus discussions on specific habits, age-appropriate content and shared expectations.
What the expansion means for the Games for Change Festival
The Games for Change Festival’s alternating-city plan gives the event a broader reach while preserving its regular New York presence. Its partnership with ASU adds opportunities for learning and research to the 2027 edition. Attendees interested in the Arizona festival should follow future announcements for programme, registration and venue information.
