Update: No Games For Change Awards for German studios

Their chances weren't bad. But in the end, it wasn't enough at the Games for Change festival. The two studios nominated for the awards went home empty-handed. But they won anyway.

It could have been a great night for Food for Thought Media's Sibel's Journey or the student project It's Ukraine - not a Game, both of which were nominated for this year's Games For Change Awards. In the end, however, Headlines and High Water by Field Day Lab won the Best in Civics category and Stop and Breathe by One Must Imagine Games won Best Student Project.

But even if an award would certainly have been nice, being nominated for the Games for Change Award is a win for the teams. Firstly because they were able to present themselves to an international audience and secondly because they made a contribution to changing the world for the better through a game.

Here is an overview of all Games for Change Award 2024 winners:

Game of the Year, Best in Impact, Best Narrative
Stay Alive, My Son Chapter 1 & 2 (UME Studios)

Best in Innovation
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Games)

Best Gameplay
A Highland Song (inkle)

Best in Civics, Best in Learning
Headlines and High Water (Field Day Lab)

Best in Environmental Impact
The Plastic Pipeline (FableVision)

Best in Health & Wellness
Soul Paint (Hatsumi & Monobanda)

Best in XR
MLK: Now Is The Time (Flight School Studio, TIME Studios, Meta VR For Good)

Best Student Project
Stop and Breathe (One Must Imagine Games)

Best Board or Tabletop Game for Impact
Daybreak (CMYK)

Original news from 17 Jun; 12.03 p.m.:

Two Berlin Teams Hope to Win at the Games for Change Awards

In less than two weeks, the Games for Change Festival will take place in New York, and many European studios have been nominated for this years Games for Change Awards, including two teams from Germany.

Using games to change the world for the better. That's what the Games for Change Festival is all about. This year it takes place in New York on 27 and 28 June. The first evening will end with a festive awards ceremony, recognising games and XR productions in ten categories. Among the nominees are many European productions such as American Arcadia by Spanish studio Out of the Blue Games (published by Raw Fury), Chants of Sennaar by French studio Rundisc (published by Focus Entertainment) and the SXSW-winning VR production Soul Paint by Monobanda from Utrecht/Netherlands and Hatsumi/UK.

Two productions from Germany also made the shortlist. Sibel's Journey by Food for Thought Media, which has also been nominated several times for the BIG Festival at gamescom latam, is competing in the Best in Civics category against Headlines and High Water by US-based Field Day Leaning and We.The Refugees:Ticket to Europe by Polish studio Act Zero.

In the Best Student Project category, It's Ukraine - not a Game is nominated, a project by Berlin students who want to raise awareness of the Russia-Ukraine war through various experiences such as Dog Days, Drive Away or Wheat and War. PacaPomo by US students and Stop and Breathe by Canadian students are also nominated in this category.

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