National Videogame Museum announces Christmas appeal with BGI’s new strategy to transform lives with games
Sheffield, 0900 23/11/21: The charity that runs the National Videogame Museum has launched a Christmas appeal to help families from deprived communities visit the museum, and announced its new strategy to promote the social impact of videogames.
The appeal, fronted by Claire Boissiere and Ian Livingstone CBE, aims to bring hundreds of children from the most deprived neighbourhoods of Sheffield and the surrounding region into the Museum. The appeal is raising funds to support the museum to give free visits for disadvantaged families to play games and learn how they’re made.
The charity’s new mission – transforming lives with games – reflects a raft of social programmes BGI has launched this year serving disadvantaged communities. They include Biome working with Sheffield’s refugee communities to create games art about their folklore; an online National Videogame Gallery to celebrate the art and animation of diverse games developers; an LGBTQ+ young producers club; a 2 year programme to train teachers from schools in deprived areas how to use games in the classroom; and a programme to train women and LGBTQ+ people of colour how to make games using Crayta. The National Videogame Museum is also part of this month’s BBC Children in Need campaign and is one of the co-founders of Games Careers Week, a public education campaign which encourages diverse candidates to consider games careers that reached nearly 40,000 people this year.
Claire Boissiere, the BGI’s Chair, said: “Videogames are performing a new role in society, giving skills, connections and enjoyment to people isolated and set back by the pandemic. The National Videogame Museum and our multi award winning programmes work with vulnerable communities to harness the unique power of videogames. We inspire, teach and open doors to new opportunities for everyone, no matter their background. Whether through play, community, learning, careers or games culture, our charity’s bold new mission is to transform lives with games.”
Rick Gibson, the charity’s CEO, said “During the pandemic, with amazing support from games companies, we refocused our programmes to help disadvantaged and under-represented people, working with the Arts Council, Children in Need, Esmee Fairbairn Trust, English Heritage and Ufi VocTech on multiple ambitious social programmes. The National Videogame Museum is the only UK museum dedicated to celebrating and interpreting videogames, investigating why they matter, and preserving our sector’s precious heritage for future generations. This Christmas we hope you will join our amazing games sector patrons to support our work with disadvantaged children.”
The NVM’s Christmas appeal can be found at www.justgiving.com/campaign/NVMXMAS