2019 Games for Change Festival: Full Schedule

11:45am EDT

Beyond the Empathy Games 101: Digging Deep into Empathy, Ethics, and Design

Games which provide players the opportunity to experience profound and deeply emotional experiences are often labeled as “empathy games.” While the goal of crafting these kinds of experiences is frequently to evoke feelings of connection, there remains significant moral and ethical considerations. Is asking someone to experience another person’s trauma permissible in the name of empathy? How are we thinking about the ethics around creating immersive, potentially traumatic experiences? This talk will delve into the psychological construct of empathy, discuss how empathy maps to the design process, and share core questions to consider when designing in the name of empathy.

Speakers

Kelli Dunlap

Director of Mental Health Research and Design, iThrive Games

Kelli Dunlap, PsyD is the director of mental health research and design at iThrive Games. As a psychologist and game designer, she leads on the design and implementation of the organization’s mental health initiatives including conducting research, publishing academic articles... Read More →

Tuesday June 18, 2019 11:45am - 12:05pm EDT
Room 105

Health & Wellness, Talk

2:00pm EDT

Project Briefs: Health & Wellness

In every corner of the globe, creative minds and product visionaries are making games and XR for players -- all focused around a vast range of health, wellness and medical practitioner ecosystems. These projects are tackling anxiety, malaria education, emotional self-assessment, and more. Join us to hear game designers, developers, program and product leaders talk about their work and their games in a lightning round of ten-minute project briefs.

Amir Bozorgzadeh
Brain Training in VR

Eduardo Ramírez
Identification of Design Patterns for Serious Games

Claudia-Santi Fernandes
Addressing School Climate Through a Game Experience

Amy Zimmerman

Zachary Whitten
Play For More Than Bragging Rights

Speakers

Amy Zimmerman

Producer, M&E Innovation Group, Unity Technologies

Amy Zimmerman is a producer on the Media and Entertainment InnovatIon Team at Unity. She began her career in the feature film and TV world in Vancouver BC. She was the producer of award winning music videos and live action feature films before moving into documentary. After joining... Read More →

Amir Bozorgzadeh

CEO, Virtuleap

Amir Bozorgzadeh is CEO at Virtuleap, the startup that enables the body to speak in VR and AR using neuroscience research and machine learning, so that companies and brands can know if their users are excited, angry, or bored out of their minds. He is a regular contributor to tech... Read More →

Eduardo Ramírez

CEO, Green Lava Studios

Eduardo Ramírez is the founder of Green Lava Studios. He is a Computer Engineer graduated from Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED). Having taken several game-related courses at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, Eduardo is in charge of designing and programming the videogames... Read More →

Claudia-Santi Fernandes

Associate Director, play2PREVENT Lab, Yale Center for Health & Learning Games

Claudia-Santi F. Fernandes, Ed.D., LPC is a former teacher, school counselor, and school leader. Currently, she is the Associate Director at the play2PREVENT (p2P) Lab at the Yale Center for Health & Learning Games and a licensed professional counselor. In her role at the p2P Lab... Read More →

Zachary Whitten

Director of Innovation, Content Creator Development, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Zachary Whitten created and leads St. Jude PLAY LIVE, the video game fundraising program that benefits the kids of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This effort has raised more than $13 million in the last five years through streamers, content creators, and partnerships with... Read More →

Tuesday June 18, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Room 104

Health & Wellness, Project Brief

2:30pm EDT

Aging Better through Virtual Reality and Games

People enjoy playing games at almost every stage in life. A recent study points to the fact that there are over 41 million people over the age of 50 who play games on a regular basis. What’s more, games and VR are increasingly leveraged to make a positive impact on the lives of people as they age and also serve as intergenerational connectors. For this panel session, hear from experts at AARP, UCSF and Embodied Labs about how games and VR not only entertain but also play an integral role in our lives as we age, whether in healthcare and wellness ecosystems or throughout society as a whole.

Moderators

Robert Fine

Executive Director, International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association (IVRHA)

Robert is the founder and Executive Director of IVRHA (International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association). In June 2009, Robert Fine convened the first social media conference on the East coast in Washington, DC. It garnered national attention with headline speakers from CNN... Read More →

Speakers

Dr. Heather Leutwyler

Associate Professor, UCSF School of Nursing

Dr. Leutwyler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiological Nursing. Dr. Leutwyler has a BS in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of San Francisco. She is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner... Read More →

Cezara Windrem

Innovation Catalyst, Head of VR, AARP Innovation Labs

Cezara is an emerging technologies leader, innovation and product executive employing immersive media and spatial computing to create valuable solutions to issues people face as they age. Creator of Alcove, the VR platform that brings together the intergenerational family connection... Read More →

Carrie Shaw

CEO & Founder, Embodied Labs

Carrie Shaw works at the intersection of health education and virtual reality storytelling. She is the CEO and founder Embodied Labs, an immersive education and wellness platform for professional and family caregivers and the older adults they serve.

Tuesday June 18, 2019 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Mainstage - Tishman Auditorium

Health & Wellness, Panel

3:15pm EDT

VR for Binocular Vision: Using the Brain's Neuroplasticity to Treat Lazy Eye

Hundreds of eye clinics are using VR to treat lazy eye in more than 16 countries. This talk covers the science and business challenges of getting a novel VR medical device adopted as the new standard of care.

Speakers

James Blaha

CEO & Founder, Vivid Vision

James Blaha is founder and CEO of Vivid Vision. He grew up suffering from binocular vision disorders which sparked his interest in technology to measure and improve human vision. He built a prototype using a virtual reality head-mounted display of what would become Vivid Vision’s... Read More →

Tuesday June 18, 2019 3:15pm - 3:35pm EDT
Room 104

Health & Wellness, Talk

3:45pm EDT

Neuro Champions: Improving Child and Adolescent Knowledge of the Brain, Neuroscience and Mental Health

How many of you learnt about your brain when you were at school? With 50% of Mental Health Problems established by the age of 14, we believe that by learning about your brain and development this can help prevent the negative impacts of mental ill health and builds up skills, knowledge and the confidence to provide peer based support. Integrating neuroscience education, play, technology and psychological models of support, we created the Neuro Champions programme. This session will describe the Neuro Champions methodology, demonstrate game elements and share findings from our evaluation study.

Speakers

Naomi Mwasambili

CEO, Chanua

Naomi is the CEO of Chanua and has over 10 years experience designing, implementing and evaluating social change programmes. Her team at Chanua have developed a range of products and services embedding play, gamification and technology in areas of health, mental health and enterprise... Read More →

Tuesday June 18, 2019 3:45pm - 4:05pm EDT
Room 104

Health & Wellness, Talk

6:00pm EDT

Keynote - Hacking Mindfulness

Join Nanea Reeves as she explores how combining video game mechanics with mindfulness structures in the immersion of VR can drive transformation.

Speakers

Nanea Reeves

CEO & Co-Founder, TRIPP, Inc.

Nanea brings over 15 years experience in digital distribution, video game technologies and mobile application development. Prior to founding TRIPP, Nanea was President & COO of TextPlus, one of the top mobile communications applications on iOS and Android platforms. Before joining... Read More →

Tuesday June 18, 2019 6:00pm - 6:30pm EDT
Mainstage - Tishman Auditorium

Health & Wellness, Keynote

11:15am EDT

No Shame in Reproductive Health Games

We believe that because of their interactive, iterative and inspiring nature, games appeal to the human psychology in a way most other communication tools don’t and their impact on our brains far transcends the boundaries of the virtual world.

This session will focus on 4 windows of opportunity that can be leveraged when creating low-cost mobile games for reproductive health for a global audience; (i) games are a universal language,(ii) smartphones are now available in areas where even toilets are a luxury,(iii)mobiles games provide a private mode of outreach and (iv) scaling up games to different contexts is cost effective.

Speakers

Heather Miller

Creative Director, GRID- Gaming Revolution for Inspiring Development

Heather Miller is the Creative Director at GRID. She is responsible for the storyboarding and script writing of GRID's reproductive health games, SurrEndo and Nari Paila. Heather manages the team of graphic artists at GRID and provides art direction for all game assets. She also conducts... Read More →

Nokafu Sandra Chipanta

Program Officer II, Institute for Reproductive Health, Georgetown University

Sandra Chipanta manages programmatic and research activities at the Institute for Reproductive Health. Under the Fertility Awareness for Community Transformation Project, she works on community-based and digital games. She informed the content design of the Nari Paila mobile game... Read More →

Wednesday June 19, 2019 11:15am - 11:35am EDT
Room 105

Health & Wellness, Talk

12:15pm EDT

VR NeuroTherapy in Rehabilitation for Improved Mobility, Chronic Pain Management and Independence

Research surrounding VR as a viable medical tool has been extensive; covering training doctors in detailed surgical procedures to working on the front lines enhancing the patient experience. VR as a rehabilitation treatment for spinal cord injury, brain injury and various musculoskeletal disorders and disabilities has had tremendous success in improving mobility, pain management, and quality of life for in-patient and out-patient users. Hospitals have access to rehab focused VR experiences as a stand-alone device or to complement traditional practice. Discover how VR is used to help improve the independence of disabled users and it’s novel pairing with other technology.

Speakers

Jessica Maslin

Co-founder & COO, Mieron, Inc

Jessica Maslin is the co-founder and COO of @mieronvr, innovators of Virtual Reality NeuroTherapy for rehabilitation, physical therapy & pain management. Jessica has worked in research fields, analytics, digital marketing, product development, sales strategy, and partnership development... Read More →

Wednesday June 19, 2019 12:15pm - 12:35pm EDT
Room 105

Health & Wellness, Talk

2:00pm EDT

Accessible Player Experiences: A New Approach to Accessible Game Design

The focal point of accessible game design has primarily resulted in the addition of accessible options and features after the crucial design choices have already been made. From AbleGamers Charity comes a novel approach to accessible game design. With an emphasis on removing access and challenge barriers from the inception of the game development process, the AbleGamers Charity seeks to catalyze a new wave of game development that strives towards Accessible Player Experience (APX).

Speakers

Mark Barlet

Founder and Executive Director, AbleGamers Charity

Mark Barlet is the Founder and Executive Director of the AbleGamers Charity. Working alongside Mark, is Greg Haynes, Lead User Researcher at The AbleGamers Charity. Together, they seek to break down the barriers to gameplay that people with disabilities experience and foster accessible... Read More →

Greg Haynes

Lead Games User Researcher, AbleGamers Charity

Working alongside Mark, is Greg Haynes, Lead User Researcher at The AbleGamers Charity. Together, they seek to break down the barriers to gameplay that people with disabilities experience and foster accessible design practices in the gaming space. In discussing and consulting on accessibility... Read More →

Wednesday June 19, 2019 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT
Room 105

Health & Wellness, Talk

2:30pm EDT

IGDA Games for Health SIG Community Roundtable: Open Invitation to Participate

Join the International Game Developers Association Games for Health Special Interest Group community roundtable. IGDA members and non-members will discuss our broad charter mission to: disseminate information about health opportunities to the game community, promote resource sharing, inform the health industry about games' potential and proven applications, and serve as a source for matchmaking among developers and the health industry. Attendees will inform the ongoing mission for the SIG and network with one another.

Speakers

Jenn McNamara

Vice President Serious Games & Strategic Partnerships, BreakAway Games

Jenn McNamara is Vice President Serious Games and Strategic Partnerships at BreakAway Games. For the past 17 years, Jenn has led teams creating game-based learning and assessment solutions. Her novel games have over 100,000 government and corporate users and have received international... Read More →

Wednesday June 19, 2019 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Room 205

Health & Wellness, Workshop

3:15pm EDT

Transforming the Experience of Physical Activity Through Fitness Gaming

Mobile apps, wearables, VR, and AR are radically changing the fitness and wellness landscapes. New products, technologies and design thinking approaches rooted in gaming are being leveraged on a variety of platforms with the aid of experts in wellness, fitness, and maintaining active lifestyles. Whether offering support and motivation to undertake a consistent physical activity program, leveraging experiential tech to provide a broad range of new fitness gaming experiences or advancing efforts to standardize common understandings around the type, nature, and intensity of physical workouts -- this panel offers key insights into the evolving nature of tech, fitness, and game thinking.

Moderators

Margaret Wallace

Founder, KijiCo

Margaret Wallace is Chief Executive Officer of San Francisco-based KijiCo (www.kijico.com) and Co-Founder of Brooklyn-based Playmatics. She’s an award-winning entrepreneur and creator of digital and real-world games, products and other interactive experiences. An inventor and innovator, her games-related achievements have spanned a variety of industry sectors, ranging fro... Read More →

Speakers

Aaron Stanton

CEO, VR Health Institute

Aaron Stanton is the Director of the VR Health Institute, executive producer of the hit game QuiVr, and an investor in Silicon Valley. After years in the game industry as a journalist for the NY Times Co, he founded BookLamp, a machine learning company acquired by Apple in 2014. After... Read More →

Ianthe Mellors

Head of Fitness, Fit XR

Ianthe is a professional dancer and teaching artist from England. She has been performing nationally since age five and has been teaching group fitness for nearly a decade. Ianthe has partnered with Nike, Reebok, ASOS, Adidas, Women’s Health and Sweaty Betty. She uses her dance... Read More →

Jamie Rosen

Founder & CEO, WayBetter

Jamie is a serial entrepreneur who started his career as a toy inventor and later dropped out of Harvard Business School to start his first internet company. He has 10 patents and sold his personal patent portfolio to Yahoo! He is currently the Founder and CEO of WayBetter, which... Read More →

Wednesday June 19, 2019 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Starr Foundation

Health & Wellness, Panel

4:15pm EDT

Gamification as a Life-saving Medicine

Ting Jiang will shed light on the science behind games and gamification and how to optimally apply serious games and gamification to promoting learnings and adopting the right behavior especially habitual behavior that impacts health and happiness with the "4P" framework. She will also demonstrate how the scientific tool of experimentation can be applied to both proving and improving products/games created.

Speakers

Dr. Ting Jiang

Principal, Center for Advanced Hindsight

Dr. Ting Jiang is Principal of Behavioral Tech and Architecture at Center for Advanced Hindsight, a behavioral science lab at Duke University led by Dan Ariely. As a scientist, she has published in a broad range of disciplines ranging from economics, psychology to anthropology on... Read More →

Wednesday June 19, 2019 4:15pm - 4:35pm EDT
Room 104

Health & Wellness, Talk

4:45pm EDT

Using Virtual Reality for Training Healthcare Providers in High-Stakes Pediatric Resuscitations

Some events in medicine - cardiac arrest, mass casualties, pediatric resuscitations - are difficult for medical providers to train for. First, because of their rarity (Low-frequency), there is less experience. Second, because of their importance (High-stakes), it's not a great time to 'practice' or learn from 'trial-and-error.'

Virtual Reality is a new method to train healthcare providers for low-frequency, high-stakes events in a safe but stressful environment. We'll describe how Children's Hospital Los Angeles helped develop a VR solution that is now being implemented in multiple hospitals and medical centers throughout the world.

Speakers

Dr. Todd Chang

Associate Medical Director for the Simulation Laboratory, Keck School Of Medicine, University Of Southern California

Dr. Todd P Chang is Divisional Director for Research & Scholarship for Emergency Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He has been Principal Investigator in a variety of grant-funded and research examining gamification, serious games, and virtual reality in healthcare. Dr... Read More →

Wednesday June 19, 2019 4:45pm - 5:05pm EDT
Room 104

Health & Wellness, Talk

5:30pm EDT

Keynote - The Mind: Engineering the Future of Human Possibility

We can create an unprecedented era of human flourishing. We can take the tech that has taxed our thinking and relationships and use it instead to transform our hearts and minds. We can have greater clarity, joy and connection. This is the Future of Human Possibility.

Speakers

Nichol Bradford

Executive Director & Co-Founder, Transformative Technology Lab

Nichol Bradford is fascinated by human possibility and technology. She is the CEO of the Willow Group and Executive Director of the Transformative Technology Lab. Prior to becoming a leader in Transformative Technology, Bradford was a senior executive in video games with responsibility... Read More →

Wednesday June 19, 2019 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Mainstage - Tishman Auditorium

Health & Wellness, Keynote