Supporting President Obama's call for a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), Microsoft Corporation, and the MacArthur Foundation today announced a suite of multi-faceted efforts to engage and motivate students in STEM learning. The organizations will work to harness the excitement surrounding computer and video games through a series of STEM-related video game design competitions.
Two national video game competitions will be launched soon. These would include Game Changers. This competition is a component of the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition, a US$2 million annual effort funded by the MacArthur Foundation that advances the most innovative approaches to learning through games, social networks and mobile devices. SCEA, in cooperation with ESA and ITI, will team with MacArthur to support the competition, which will result in the creation of new game play experiences that enhance STEM principles using new discoveries on an existing popular video game, LittleBigPlanet(TM), winner of numerous 'game of the year' awards in 2008. Additionally, SCEA will donate 1,000 PlayStation(R)3 (PS3(TM)) systems and copies of LittleBigPlanet(TM) to libraries and community based organizations in low-income communities and make the winning levels available to game players at no cost.
