The general perception of video games has changed a lot over the past few years.
This is partially because the pandemic has brought more people into the gaming community, but also because the masses (particularly the older generations) have finally come to realize that video games can be used to educate as well.
The Games Education Summit aims to spread more of that awareness, and we just found out who you can expect to see at the event.
Unity, FutureLearn, and Many Others Set to Speak at GamesEd21
The virtual 2021 Games Education Summit is set to take place on March 31 and April 1, and it has quite the impressive roster of speakers.
According to gamesindustry.biz, one of the event's media partners, keynote sessions will be held by Unity Director of Real-Time Learning Aurore Dimopoulos and FutureLearn Founder Simon Nelson.
Course leaders from schools such as Priestley College, Staffordshire University, Abertay University, Norwich University, and University of Bolton are also expected to speak. But really, that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Here's a list of companies and organizations planned to speak at the 2021 Games Education Summit:
- Playground Games
- Fabrik Games
- Aardvark Swift
- AIM Group
- Amiqus
- BAME in Games
- G Into Games
- NextGen Skills Academy
- Payload Studios
- Nord Anglia Education
- Sumo Digital
Much of the event will focus on the relationship between video games and the world after the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, "Ready, Player… Learn" is one of the event's themes, which will gloss over what the future of learning looks like, now that schools and businesses in the education sector are forced to operate a little differently.
GES 2021 also plans to discuss apprenticeships, internships, and how the industry can improve diversity amongst its professionals.
What Is the Games Education Summit?
The Games Education Summit (GamesEd) is an annual virtual event for studios, recruiters, and educators that features collaborative sessions led by leaders in the gaming industry.
GamesEd is hosted every year by the British Games Institute (BGI), and has been since 2019. BGI describes itself as "a new charity that works to educate the public about the art, science, history, and technology of video games."
Get Your Tickets to GamesEd21 Now
BGI writes to its website that with everything going on right now in the UK—the pandemic, Brexit, and the implementation of new immigration rules—it’s never been more important for the British games industry to nurture home-grown future talent.
If you want to take part in the 2021 Games Education Summit, ticket prices start at approximately $27.39 (£19.79) on Eventbrite.