PS3 & LittleBigPlanet Serve As Platform For “Game Changers” $2 Million Educational Competition

Sony Computer Entertainment America has partnered with the T.MacArthur Foundation to improve education via digital media with a $2 million open competition seeking out “designers, inventors, entrepreneurs, researchers, and others to build digital media experiences – the learning labs of the 21st Century – that help young people interact, share, build, tinker, and explore in new and innovative ways.”

One component of the competition, called “Game Changers”, offers awards specifically for the creation of  new and educational gaming experiences. In a effort to broaden the reach of the Game Changers competition, Sony has donated 1000 PlayStation 3 units paired with copies of the LittleBigPlanet title to libraries and other community-based organizations found in lower income regions — a move acknowledged by President Obama himself in the statement below.

“Lifting American students from the middle to the top of the pack in STEM achievement over the next decade will not be attained by government alone,”

“I applaud the substantial commitments made today by the leaders of companies, universities, foundations, non-profits and organizations representing millions of scientists, engineers, and teachers from across the country.”

Sony President and CEO, Jack Tretton, spoke about the competition, calling it a “challenge [that] truly embodies what’s possible when you place the learning tools and the opportunity into the hands of creative and imaginative minds,” Tretton added the following:

“When leveraging the innovative technology of LittleBigPlanet and the PS3 system, both advanced and novice gamers have access to an open canvas to learn, build, and explore entirely new kinds of gaming experiences. They can also share their creations with millions of gamers around the world to play, rate, and review their levels. There’s no better training ground for anyone interested in digital media.”

Connie Yowell, MacArthur’s Director of Education, commented on Sony’s involvement:

“MacArthur is pleased to team with Sony and National Lab Day to encourage the next generation of innovators … Digital media, including games, are the learning labs of the future and this open competition encourages people to consider creative new ways to use digital media to create learning environments that are engaging, immersive and participatory,”

The intention of the competition is to promote “participatory” learning, which operates under the notion that individuals, specifically young ones, learn best through “sharing and involvement”. Chances are you will learn more when passionate and engaged in the medium you are exploring, making video games a great vehicle for the contest.

Three rounds of submissions will exist, with the public being given the opportunity to comment each round. In addition, the general public will act as judges overlooking the final candidates and ultimately selecting the People’s Choice winner in each category.

The competition officially kicks off on December 7th, and you can get more information about it by visiting dmlcompetition.net. Some may be quick to knock LittleBigPlanet’s role in all of this, but there is no questioning that the game is engaging, immersive, and participatory.