By Jon Scarr
UNICEF is teaching young people how to make their own video games through its Game Changers Coalition. Launched in 2023, the program introduces coding, art and storytelling through game development, with a particular focus on girls who face barriers to technology education.
In 2025, participants created more than 20,000 original video games through the program, according to UNICEF. Since its launch, Game Changers has reached more than 642,000 people across eight countries, including young people, parents and teachers. In June 2026, UNICEF announced plans to expand into Bolivia, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
The role of video games in education and social impact was also discussed at a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) conference in Geneva on October 16. Tatjana Sachse, lead spokesperson and counsel for the Global Video Game Coalition (GVGC), joined representatives from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) on a panel exploring how the video game industry can work with UN agencies.
Learning Game Development Through UNICEF's Program
The Game Changers Coalition introduces young people to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) through creating video games. Instead of stopping at the basics of using a computer, participants work toward something they can actually play.
Game jams are one way the program brings those skills together. Teams have a limited amount of time to turn an idea into a game, so they need to divide the work and make decisions as they go. Art, code and storytelling all have a role, even when the finished game is relatively simple.
The program also extends into classrooms. UNICEF reports that its game-development curriculum has been incorporated into Art and Digital Media courses in São Paulo, Brazil. In Cambodia, it is part of a national teacher-training platform. That creates opportunities to learn these skills beyond a one-off event.
More Than 20,000 Games Created in 2025
The total covers games developed through the Game Changers curriculum during 2025. UNICEF describes creations dealing with subjects including climate action, identity and community. These are learning projects, rather than a tally of commercially released games.
Florismar da Silva Bezerra, now 20, first took part in Game Changers at a 2023 game jam in São Luís, Brazil. She and her teammates had 48 hours to create a playable game. Their story followed a girl searching for another planet after her home world began collapsing. Florismar worked on the characters, colours and storytelling, and discovered an interest in digital design.
She later began studying computer science at the Federal University of Maranhão and returned to the event as a judge.
UNICEF reports that an independent assessment of the program's 2025 cycle in São Luís surveyed 336 students and 71 teachers. Of those surveyed, 90% of participants said they enjoyed STEAM learning, compared with 69% of girls who hadn't participated. The findings describe reported attitudes and experiences. They don't establish that the program alone caused the differences.
Game Changers Expands Its Reach in 2026
UNICEF announced plans in June to bring the program to Bolivia, Bangladesh and Indonesia. The new countries would extend the curriculum beyond the eight countries included in its earlier reach figures.
In Bolivia, UNICEF identified discouragement and gender bias as barriers to girls entering STEAM fields. In Bangladesh, the focus includes limited access to basic digital skills. In Indonesia, the planned expansion focuses on East Java, where many adolescents face difficulties moving from school into employment.
The goal is to bring game development into learning environments through partnerships with schools and education systems.
Gaming Industry Partnerships Support the Program
The GVGC brings together national and regional video game industry trade associations. It formally partnered with UNICEF in November 2024 to support opportunities for girls in gaming and technology. UNICEF identifies Electronic Arts, Roblox, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft among the companies involved with the GVGC.
For anyone interested in trying game development, UNICEF offers free, self-paced online courses for students and teachers. The courses introduce game-creation fundamentals and are available in English and Spanish, with no previous experience needed for the student learning pathway.
Jon Scarr
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