SAFE IN OUR WORLD ANNOUNCES MENTAL HEALTH GAME DEV CHAMPIONS 2024
A GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR ASPIRING DEVELOPERS
Registration Now Open
24th April: London, UK: The video games mental health charity Safe In Our World is proud to announce the first Mental Health Game Dev Champions event, aimed at empowering gamers and developers to create intimate and personal video games based on lived experiences. Game Dev Champions is a worldwide event, encouraging entries from a variety of ages, skills, and diverse backgrounds.
Games are an amazing vehicle to express difficult and often emotional mental health journeys that people face every day. Through this initiative, and by sharing these experiences, Safe In Our World seeks to amplify the voices of the gaming community and enable players to experience an often silent struggle.
Watch the video announcement:
The event will be judged by a diverse industry panel, with winners receiving a selection of prizes, including Unity Pro licenses, but more importantly, will help gamers develop a career or deeper interest in video game development.
Sarah Sorrell, Charity Director, explains the theme of this first event “Safe In Our World was launched on the eve of the pandemic, arriving at a vital time to offer support for gamers. If there is one legacy that Covid-19 has left, it’s that perhaps people are now talking more about their mental health. That is the theme of this competition; to continue this vital conversation and encourage people to express what they went through and share their experience by making a game that means something to them”.
The registration window for the event is now open, closing on May 31st, 2024. To register, visit:
https://safeinourworld.org/news/mental-health-game-dev-champions-2024/
The event begins on the June 1st, with the development window open until October 31st, and judging of all entries complete by November 30th, 2024. Winners will be announced via a special live showcase in December. This event is possible thanks to the partners who have lent their support and resources, including Xbox, Unity, Intel, Outright Games, Devolver Digital, Sharkmob, FuturLab, PressEngine and Wired Productions.
About Safe In Our World
Safe In Our World is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1183344. A team of seasoned gaming veterans passionate about mental health brainstormed for over two years over ways they could make a difference. Launched on World Mental Health Day on October 10th, 2019, its aims are to raise awareness of mental health within the video games industry and to provide resources, signpost help, and drive change for everyone connected with the industry – from developers, publishers, and service providers to content creators and players. Its initial mission is to create an online destination where people can seek help, gain access to resources and information, and discover stories from real people within and surrounding the games industry, with more detailed policies available via the website. Safe In Our World is a worldwide hub accessible for anyone in need.
