The nominees for the Games for Change 2016 awards are …
Best Gameplay
Block’hood
A neighborhood-building simulator
Developer: Plethora Project
Platforms: PC, Mac
Price: $10
Themes: Ecology, city planning
Life Is Strange
Episodic adventure game about choice and consequence
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Price: $5 per episode, $20 for complete season
Themes: Teen social pressures, moral vs. personal choices
That Dragon, Cancer
An interactive retelling of a child’s fight against cancer
Developer: Numinous Games
Platforms: PC, Mac
Price: $15
Themes: Memoir, terminal illness, childhood, faith
Most Significant Impact
Super Powers Legion (Legião dos Super Poderes)
A game designed to improve eating habits and physical activity in the real world
Developer: PushStart Studio
Platforms: Web
Price: Free
Themes: Nutrition, physical activity, gamification
Syrian Journey
A digital project exploring the exodus from Syria
Developer: BBC
Platforms: Web
Price: Free
Themes: Current events, survival stories
Life Is Strange
Episodic adventure game about choice and consequence
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Price: $5 per episode, $20 for complete season
Themes: Teen social pressures, moral vs. personal choices
Most Innovative
Life Is Strange
Episodic adventure game about choice and consequence
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Price: $5 per episode, $20 for complete season
Themes: Teen social pressures, moral vs. personal choices
That Dragon, Cancer
An interactive retelling of a child’s fight against cancer
Developer: Numinous Games
Platforms: PC, Mac
Price: $15
Themes: Memoir, terminal illness, childhood, faith
Lumino City
A puzzle adventure about renewable energy technologies and self-sufficiency
Developer: State of Play
Platforms: PC, Mac, iOS
Price: $20 (PC, Mac), $5 (iOS)
Themes: Energy conservation, environmental technology
Best Learning Game
Nova’s Evolution Lab
A big picture of evolution, its evidence, and misconceptions
Developer: Nova
Platforms: Web
Price: Free
Themes: Science, evolution
Dragon Box Numbers
Math game that develops number sense in 4-8-year olds
Developer: WeWantToKnow
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: $8
Themes: Math, numbers
Mission US: “City of Immigrants”
Simulation of life as a teenage immigrant from Russia to America
Developer: Thirteen/WNET
Platforms: Web
Price: Free
Themes: History, economics, culture, society