ESA partners with Microsoft & Sony for STEM initiative, launches game creation competitions

by Ben Gilbert { Nov 23rd 2009 at 12:40PM }

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the game industry lobby group, today announced two new game creation contests meant to support President Obama's STEM initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math studies). A partnership between the ESA, Microsoft, Sony, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC), and the MacArthur Foundation will help to fund and run a series of STEM-related game design competitions.

Details of the first two competitions – "Game Changers" and the less creatively titled "STEM National Video Game Competition" – are scant at the moment, though the former will involve Sony donating 1,000 PS3s and copies of LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community-based organizations in low-income districts, with plans to share the winning levels free to the gaming public. When asked, an ESA representative told Joystiq that more information would be revealed in "the coming weeks."

Tags: entertainment-software-association, esa, game-changers, game-industry, information-technology-industry-council, littlebigplanet, lobbyists, macarthur-foundation, microsoft, politics, sony, stem, stem-initiative, stem-national-video-game-competition, the-esa

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

False [A Trusted BF Source] @ Nov 23rd 2009 12:47PM

Love it. Put America's creative minds to work on something everyone can enjoy. +1

Gregory Christopher @ Nov 23rd 2009 12:52PM

did someone say free?

lavarock @ Nov 23rd 2009 12:56PM

Pretty sure the E in STEM is Engineering, not English...

Draco @ Nov 23rd 2009 1:13PM

I think it is English, as in English class. the rest of the acronym are for the primary classes.

Darth Bradwart, The Dark Lord of the Sith-ATDF Co-Founder @ Nov 23rd 2009 1:20PM

No, it's actually Engineering according to the link.

Stevetrop @ Nov 23rd 2009 1:00PM

I support this.

Lunastra78 (PSN: lunastra78) @ Nov 23rd 2009 1:03PM

This post is badly in need of a sackboy soup kitchen photoshop.

Darth Bradwart, The Dark Lord of the Sith-ATDF Co-Founder @ Nov 23rd 2009 1:05PM

As much as I don't like Obama's policies, I do agree with this one, for the most part.

I'm tired of dumb kids.

False [A Trusted BF Source] @ Nov 23rd 2009 1:14PM

And dumb adults. There seem to be a shitload of them too (a lot of them on Xbox LIVE, no less).

davidchege @ Nov 23rd 2009 1:24PM

this is good, maybe now video games will be seen as an art form....

Shadsy @ Nov 23rd 2009 1:51PM

The local crazy people who roam around at the libraries are going to make some awesome stuff. :D

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