See our official press release below, for more information on entering the KVGM2016 competition, to see our judges list, and more click here.
Pixel Press and the Children’s Creativity Museum to Showcase Winners in Exhibit during the Game Developers Conference
San Francisco, CA, February 18, 2016 -- Pixel Press today announced the First Annual Kids as Video Game Makers (KVGM) event. Aiming to encourage creativity and engineering skills, the competition is open to children ages 14 and under. Young designers are invited to create a video game using Bloxels, a first of its kind game creation technology. The contest opens today, February 18th, and runs through March 7th. Winners will be announced on March 15th and have their video games on display at the Children’s Creativity Museum during the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest professional video game event, from March 15th - 18th. The museum is located in the Yerba Buena Gardens, next to the Moscone Center, where GDC is hosted. Complete rules and other information regarding the contest are detailed on theKids as Video Game Makers 2016 website.
“Bloxels leverages the process of making video games to help young people find their voice and develop STEM-based skills through a unique combination of creativity and engineering,” said Robin Rath, CEO of Pixel Press. “We are very excited that the Children’s Creativity Museum will showcase the work of tomorrow’s game designers during this year’s GDC.”
“We are pleased to host with Pixel Press the Kids as Video Game Makers 2016 event and help empower children to become the producers of media, not just passive consumers,” said Carol M. Tang, Ph.D., Executive Director, Children’s Creativity Museum.
The Competition
With Bloxels, kids create entire worlds — characters, levels and stories — by simply building with blocks and capturing the gameboard with the camera on their mobile device. They then design, edit, configure and animate their content directly in the Bloxels Builder app, ultimately creating their very own unique video game. Once a game is created, entrants will submit their game to a panel of judges by posting it on the Bloxels’ Infinity Wall and filling out the Contest Entry Form.
Three KVGM 2016 Top Creators will be selected by a panel of industry experts from across games and learning and will be chosen on specific criteria including creativity, level design challenge and fun factor, storytelling and more.
The Prizes
In addition to having their games on display at the Children’s Creativity Museum during GDC, the KVGM 2016 Top Creators will each receive a recognition certificate, a framed print of the artwork from their game (which will also be on display at the Children's Creativity Museum) and a t-shirt featuring the main character from their game. The special display will be up and running on Tuesday, March 15th through Friday, March 18th, and the framed artwork will remain on display at the museum.
Each KVGM 2016 Top Creator will also receive a financial stipend towards attending the awards event, or to help contribute to their continued development in the video game design space.
For complete rules and other details regarding the contest, visit the Kids as Video Game Makers 2016 website.
About Bloxels
With Bloxels it’s never been easier to make your own video game. Build and design your games, create and animate your own characters, villains, power-ups and more – all done directly on the Bloxels gameboard and then activated with the FREE Bloxels Builder App. All you need are the tools inside the Bloxels Box Set and your mobile device to start experimenting, creating and sharing.
Bloxels is perfect for aspiring creators and makers and is now available at all US locations of Marbles: The Brain Store and at the Bloxels Online Store for $49.95, plus shipping and handling.
About the Children’s Creativity Museum
The Children’s Creativity Museum is a hands-on multimedia art and technology experience for kids designed to build creative confidence. Themuseum’smissionto nurture creativity and collaborationin all children and families stems fromthe belief that creative expression, innovation, and critical thinking are core to fostering the next generation . Futuresuccesshinges not only on what children know but on their ability to think and act creatively as global citizens.
The Children’s Creativity Museum is located at 221 Fourth Street in San Francisco. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm during the school year and Tuesday through Sunday from10:00 am to 4:00 pm during the summer. Visit www.creativity.org to learn more.
About Pixel Press
Based in St. Louis, Pixel Press makes games for your whole brain and is the creator of Bloxels. The video game development and technology company develops platforms to simplify the process of video game creation by starting with real-world objects. By merging the physical and digital worlds, Pixel Press is focused on creating experiences that empower people of all ages to create, share and play. For more information, visithttp://www.projectpixelpress.com/.
Media Contacts
Andrea Schneider, Definition PR, definitionpr@gmail.com
Pat Kilduff, Children’s Creativity Museum, pat@creativity.org
