Sponsored By

Meditative first person effort Walden, A Game struck twice to take home the coveted Most Significant Impact and Game of the Year awards.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

August 1, 2017

1 Min Read

The winners of the Games for Change Awards have been announced, and meditative first person effort Walden, A Game struck twice to take home the coveted Most Significant Impact and Game of the Year awards. 

Developed by the USC Game Innovation Lab and designed by Tracy Fullerton, Walden puts players into the shoes of American philosopher Henry David Thoreau and asks them to relive his experiment in self-reliant living at Walden Park. 

The USC team hope the game will give players the chance to wrangle with Thoreau's ideas in an interactive and immersive way, and inspire them to think more deliberately about the choices they make in life. 

Another notable winner was Tracking Ida, an alternate reality game inspired by the journalism of Ida B. Wells. The educational title nabbed the gong for Best Gameplay, and aims to teach people about Wells' crusade against lynching. 

David OReilly's surreal exploration of life and the universe, Everything, was named the Most Innovative title at the show, while At Play in the Cosmos scooped up the People's Choice prize. 

Last, but by no means least, Dragonbox Big Numbers was crowned the Best Learning Game for using the power of gamification to teach children about long addition and subtraction.

Outside of the main awards, Constance Steinkuehler, Professor of Informatics at University of California, received the Vanguard Award for her contribution to the advancement of Games for Change. 

Game designer and author Bernie DeKoven was also awarded the Lifetime of Play prize for his dedication to the conversation around play and games for over 50 years.

About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like