Microsoft Wants To Build Games For Change

The company's new contest will encourage college students to develop video games based on global warming.

Games aren’t just being used to teach kids about Internet predators, they’re also being eyed as a medium for raising awareness of global warming. Microsoft announced a contest on Monday that will challenge college students to build a socially conscious game about global warming through a partnership with the Games for Change Festival at Parsons The New School for Design.

The Xbox 360 Games for Change Challenge will launch in the coming months, offering students in over 100 countries the opportunity to create games with Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio Express, a development tool. The winner will receive cash prizes, as well as an invitation from Microsoft to present their game to a management team for possible inclusion on Xbox Live Arcade, and an internship with Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business.

The Games for Change Festival assesses the impact of games on culture and encourages their use for good. “The current generation of gamers is among the most socially conscious in history,” said Suzanne Seggerman, co-founder and president of Games for Change, in a statement. “We know from experience that young people are looking for ways to help make the world a better place, and who better to support this effort than an industry leader like Microsoft?”

No details have yet been announced regarding the official start of the contest of rules for entry.