'Power Play: How Video Games can Save the World' by Asi Burak
Abstract:
From eSports events drawing thousands of spectators to Candy Crush players killing time on the subway, the world of gaming has expanded drastically in recent years. Of course, as with any other mainstream form of entertainment, video games have become the spotlight of several criticisms as politicians, media and parents wonder about the effects they have on those who play. After years of research, it turns out video games have a lot of good to offer, besides hours of fun.
Games for Change chairman, Asi Burak, decided to explore how video games pioneer social change and how the stories games feature can focus on social and political issues in an immersive way that other art forms can’t capture. He has worked with NASA, the World Bank, the White House and The United Nations in order to promote the positive effects of gaming.
Burak was named one of the “Digital 25: Leaders in Emerging Entertainment” by the Producers Guild of America and Variety Magazine for his work with Games for Change. Before Games for Change, Burak co-founded and led Impact Games, the creators of the acclaimed PeaceMaker and Play the News.
Biography:
Asi Burak is a veteran of the videogame and tech industries and an award-winning executive producer.
He is currently the CEO of Power Play and also the chairman of the influential industry organization Games for Change (G4C), which produces the largest gaming event in New York City: the annual Games for Change Festival.
He has served as a strategic adviser to organizations like EON Productions (producer of the James Bond films), Tribeca Enterprises, Newsweek and McCann Erickson, helping guide the strategic use of games and digital experiences to further brand engagement.
Prior to serving as G4C’s president from 2010-2015, Burak co-founded and led Impact Games, the creators of PeaceMaker and Play the News (acquired by Hybrid Learning Systems in 2010).
He is often interviewed by international and national media and has been invited to speak at conferences and institutions including TED Talks, Harvard Kennedy School, the Clinton Global Initiative, Sundance, the Skoll World Forum, CES, SXSW, GDC and the U.S. Army War College.
He is also a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts, holds a Master in Fine Arts in design for social innovation along with Master of Entertainment technology from Carnegie Mellon University.
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Play-Video-Games-World/dp/1250089336
Link to site: www.asiburak.com