Youth and Family Resources
Game designers have the magical power to dream playful ways to interact with the world – and create change.
Technology can be a tool to inspire creativity, social skills and play – which all have a positive impact on brain health. Innovation is all about observing, exploring and tinkering, and of course, playing and testing out your creations.
Learn to design a game from scratch using everyday materials, enhancing your sense of play through elements of game design, like brainstorming, prototyping, playtesting, iterating and reflecting. Start with the Intro to Game Design guide from our community partners at Games for Change.
When game designers have an idea for a game, they immediately create something playable to test out their idea. They also invite others to play with their creation and to give them feedback. They rarely design a game without moving through a process, which is similar to best brain healthy practices we teach in our SMART™ brain training proprietary methodology. Both focus on ways to prime the brain, calibrate mental energy, reinforce strategic thinking and ignite innovation to do your best and most creative work - or play.
A true GAME is different from just PLAY. A game is play that is fun and has rules, goals and challenge. And an impact game is designed not only to play and have fun but also to inspire players to make change in the world.
Impact games are games that are about more than just having fun. They deal with real issues and challenge players to learn and even take action. Because games are engaging for children and adults, they do a good job of helping players deeply understand an issue and in some games the player can even try to solve problems that they might not be able to solve in the real world. This makes Impact games a powerful place to learn and grapple with real world problems.
Test your knowledge! Examine the scenarios presented in the Intro to Game Design guide above and create games for impact!
Nurture your family in a new way with Parenting Minds™ – a self-paced online course that supports you through the most fulfilling, high-stakes journey of your lifetime. Enjoy this two-lesson preview to start your BrainHealthy Parenting journey.
Take simple steps to strengthen your brain health – inspire positive habits and energize your brain health journey, with a little science from these six family-focused Know Brainers.
Middle school through ninth grade is a perfect time to focus on brain health because it is a period of tremendous development, particularly for the brain's pre-frontal cortex.
Teachers can transform their classroom when trained to understand the developing brain, build skills in critical thinking and reasoning, and optimize student learning.
Our community partners at Games for Change (G4C) are helping young minds gain confidence and creativity. Their flagship program Student Challenge is a game design competition that invites youth to create digital games inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The program uses youth interest in video games to develop coding and digital design skills, as well as problem solving, collaboration, creativity, and other critical STEAM skills. The Challenge is also a platform for amplifying student voices, empowering young people to imagine creative solutions to social problems, and to see themselves as engaged citizens and changemakers. Since its launch in 2015, the Challenge has benefited over tens of thousands of youth, their teachers, and their communities.
Educator registration for the 2024 - 2025 Student Challenge is now open!
Discover the power of play with Verizon's Esports & Gaming resources powered by Games for Change. From new ways of learning to creating an esports team, game design to fresh careers, find what you need to get your class in the game.
