CONNECT WITH US
Gaming

Gaming

What if the games children love were designed to help them thrive?

Polygon logo

Published on

Add as a preferred source on Google
What if the games children love were designed to help them thrive?

UNICEF’s Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) initiative helps harness creativity and expertise to support their well-being.

The gaming industry has an extraordinary ability to create experiences that capture children’s imaginations and keep them coming back. UNICEF’s Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) initiative helps harness that creativity and expertise to support their well-being.

Most parents know all-too-familiar phrases like “just five more minutes” or “let me finish this level” when dinner threatens to go cold on the table. It’s easy to see why. Games give children worlds to explore, challenges to master, things to create, and ways to spend time with friends. Yet the same features that make games engaging, from daily streaks to countdowns and limited-time rewards, can also make it challenging for children to step away.

These are all part of the design process. And they point to an important question: given the influence game makers have over the experiences they create, how can they help ensure those experiences are positive for children?

Video games can have a positive impact on children – when they’re designed right. They can help children create, connect, experiment, learn, and feel a real sense of achievement. The opportunity lies in building on these strengths, making thoughtful design choices that make the very games children love to play good for them, too.

RITEC is a global initiative led by UNICEF in partnership with the LEGO Foundation, the LEGO Group, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Games for Change.

Drawing on research with nearly 800 children across 18 countries, and input from designers at 35 gaming companies across 15 countries, RITEC has developed a framework for understanding what children’s well-being looks like in digital play, along with practical tools to help game makers put those insights into practice.


Source link
Related Topics:Gaming

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We TheMorningPulse.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.