SXSWedu 2013 – Mind the Gap: Games, Impact, Potential, Reality

Delivered by Distinguished Speaker Alan Gershenfeld, President of E-Line Media. Computer and video games have emerged as one of the most powerful mediums of the 21st century, generating billions of hours of highly engaged entertainment. A growing body of research is also highlighting the enormous potential of games and game-infused experiences to be a key driver of innovation in addressing some of the most pressing social, cultural, scientific and economic challenges of the 21st Century. Recognizing this potential, many leading foundations, academic institutions and government agencies are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to harness the power of the medium to further their learning, health, and social impact goals There is, however, a big gap between the potential for games to make a positive impact and the reality that most impact game projects struggle to transition from promising research pilots to meaningful, sustained impact at scale. This session will explore methodologies for closing this gap.