We believe in the power of play. When you play, you let go. As you play, you set down your daily life to engage with something other. Play can be rejuvenating, uplifting, exhilarating, or cathartic. But when you play, you are also doing many other things.

You are learning the nuances of an abstract (and possibly complex) system.

You are exploring issues large or small, concrete or abstract.

You are innovating by developing a subtle strategy.

You are actively solving problems.

We believe that people can engage with and address real-world issues in a very effective way by bringing in these positive assets of play. We believe in play because we believe in people.

Games are a framework for play. By inviting people to open their minds and hearts to challenges faced in our own communities, games can bring new perspectives to those challenges and can inspire real change, one person at a time. Games can take play beyond entertainment to tell intentional stories; stories rooted in human experience that express the impact of social issues. We may not be able to solve problems right away, but through play we can certainly understand them more fully, and more compassionately.

Purposeful Players is a progressive game design challenge that calls on participants to do exactly that. By partnering with social justice organizations in Portland, OR, we will connect participants with issues experts to create games that explore issues in-depth, based on real data and real experiences. Our objective is to create games that raise awareness and deepen understanding of real problems which can in turn lead to finding new ways to solve problems and inspire change.

Beginning in August participants (alone or in teams) will be supported by local issues experts and game experts to create focused games with informed representation of the chosen issues. Submissions will be showcased in late September. Throughout the summer we will host various events and workshops to help our participants make the best games they can. This game design challenge is not fast paced; we’re going to take our time to get things right, and we’re going to be realistic about how full our lives already are these days.

The time for enacting change is now. It’s doesn’t matter who you are, what your experience level or background is, all are invited to participate! All you need to make a game is an open mind and a beating heart; we’ll provide the rest. Together, we can do great things.