Imagine Cup Game Design Winners Focus On Environment, Poverty

Three international game development teams have won $25,000 each as part of Microsoft's annual Imagine Cup competition for games that focus on improving the world in some way. The competition -- which encourages the use of technology to solve real world problems -- has since 2007 included three subcategories devoted specifically to "creat[ing] games that are not only fun but also help to improve the global community at the same time." The winners of the three game design categories were: * Mobile: Team Geekologic (France) for Brainergy, a puzzle game based on using alternative energy sources to power cities. * Web: Team Cellardoor (Poland) for The Book of Elm, an interactive story book which encourages children to "participate in saving the environment by taking simple actions." * Windows/Xbox: Team Signum Games (Brazil) for Fidei, a block-sorting game that integrates UN human development photos and facts about the state of poverty, inequality and oppression throughout the world Runners up in the game design categories came from the Phillipines, Slovakia, Thailand, the Czech Republic and the United States. Aside from the cash prize, Imagine Cup teams will also be able to apply for a newly announced $3 million grant program from Microsoft, which will provide cash, software, training, consulting and other support, with more details to be revealed later this summer.