AMD's new free online toolkit to develop computer games for a good cause

AMD has released a tookit to develop games for social cause. The kit named "Let the Games Begin" is designed to create social issues related games on subjects including environment, energy, poverty and health. This is developed in support from AMD Foundation. The toolkit packs sample examples of successful games with social content and in-depth presentations by key game design experts. This no cost toolkit is available at www.gamesforchange.org/toolkit.

The computer gaming systems are always tied with entertainment, the power of these games are underestimated, they can be very effectively used for social change. This initiative from AMD will provide the necessary boost to apply the gaming development skills for far more valuabe cause. This program focuses on youths in the age group of 13-18 years to learn the essential skills to create digital games with social content.

"AMD 'Changing the Game' has created excellent opportunities for students to express their views on the world while learning important life skills through the experience of creating digital games," said Allyson Peerman, president of the AMD Foundation. " The 'Let The Games' Begin toolkit is an important resource to inform and educate organizations that are interested in using game as a medium for communicating about important social issues."

The AMD Foundation launched AMD Changing the Game in June 2008. The initiative is designed to apply AMD's microprocessor and graphics processing power to digital game development.
AMD 'Changing the Game' uses digital game design to teach disadvantaged youth essential STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and life skills. The 'Let the Games Begin' toolkit will help broaden the scope of this program and bring social issue gaming to youth across the country.

The non profit NGOs gained by this initiative are,

Girlstart: AMD funded a summer camp that enabled 40 high school juniors to examine gender issues in gaming and explore the power of video games to effect social change.

Global Kids: AMD joined The Microsoft Corporation in enabling 20 youth from underserved communities to work with game developers to develop, create and distribute a socially conscious game, Tempest in Crescent City (http://tempestincrescentcity.ning.com/ ). The game focuses on how citizens responded to disaster situations during Hurricane Katrina.

Institute for Urban Game Design: AMD's grant enabled 40 McKinley high school students to apply their learning in 3-D modeling, animation and computer programming to develop games focused on the issue of energy usage http://www.youenergygame.com/.

Science Buddies: The AMD Changing the Game grant has enabled Science Buddies to launch a video and computer games interest area on its site aimed at helping students understand and practice what is required to design digital games.

AMD is also working with PETLab, a joint project of Games for Change and Parsons The New School, to create a Game Design and Animation Curriculum for youth. The curriculum is expected to be available to educators in 2009.

So computer game business is not a mere entertainment business but its education tool for positive change. This is a good news for suffering semiconductor businesses, that too for the processor and graphic chip vendors. A dozen of these kinds of technology initiaves might be the need of the hour for the semiconductor industry to pull away from recession.