Turning digital leisure into an empowerment tool
Challenge
Forcibly displaced people face social and economic inclusion challenges, with few opportunities to build large-scale communities or develop skills that could help them access work in creative digital industries.
Solution
UNHCR is exploring ways to organize a game jam (an event/digital space where developers build a game from scratch) co-designed with refugees, to elevate the voices of the displaced, build community, and provide opportunities for skill and livelihood development in the gaming space.
Impact
The feasibility study will suggest ways to deliver an impactful, refugee-driven game jam, to empower the displaced to tell their stories, link game designers with creative industries, and foster empathy and understanding. The study will advance UNHCR’s knowledge of digital leisure and livelihoods and identify opportunities for engagement with the video-game and related industries.