Game-Based Engagement for Social Change

Maintains and hosts blogs such as 'Power, Myth & Ecosystems' and 'Growing Peas and Justice' to explore human relationships with nature, myth, power structures, and environmental justice, authored by Ríobart É. Breen and Meghan Breen respectively.

Builds resilience and adaptive capacity in ecoregional communities within the Hudson-Mohawk River Watershed by forming watershed-based networks, promoting Green Neighbor Agreements, and cultivating early adopter networks to advance sustainable living, environmental justice, and regenerative economies.

Provides thought leadership, community education, and policy analysis on social-ecological sustainability, including publications on narrative in environmental governance, complex systems analysis, community sustainability, and watershed governance. Focuses on empowering local communities to transition toward resilient and just systems.

Develops and implements EarthQuest, a hybrid tabletop and multimedia simulation game that engages youth and young adults in role-playing as future descendants to collaboratively solve climate change, civics, and environmental stewardship challenges. The game has been iteratively developed since 1999 through play-testing and includes structured materials, an optional mobile app, and a player network for clubs and service projects.

Conducts research on environmental justice through initiatives such as the Urban Environmental Health and Justice project, which studies environmental justice issues in the Kromma Kill watershed along the Hudson River.

Provides environmental sustainability education through programs such as Síolta, which offers weekly nature-centered cultural activities, food preparation, and seasonal festivals for toddlers, young children, and parents to promote sustainable living and leadership. The program evolved from the Eco Mamas and Papas initiative and is delivered in both urban and rural settings.

Operates the Anam Circle, an intergenerational “think and do tank” founded in 2008 that connects college and graduate students with scholar mentors to conduct policy analysis on rural and urban sustainability issues.

Hosts weekly educational and cultural gatherings from September through June each year, fostering community engagement in sustainability, cultural expression, and ecological awareness.

Operates Glendara Homestead, a six-acre sustainable rural site featuring vegetable gardens, orchard, dairy goats, free-range poultry, woodlots, and wildlife habitats. The site uses wind energy and wood biofuel for energy needs and provides hands-on training in sustainable living and ecological restoration for visitors, volunteers, young adults, and families.

Engages youth and young adults in leadership development, ecological restoration, and sustainability initiatives through programs like the White Mountain Youth Corps and 4H Earth Clubs. These programs involve mentoring, project planning, advocacy, and hands-on restoration work in damaged ecosystems, including post-wildfire recovery in Arizona and local watershed projects.

Plans and hosts online video game tournaments with the purpose of raising funds for charitable causes. These events leverage gaming communities to generate donations.

Produces and disseminates an annual Impact Report documenting education initiatives and infrastructure development; conducts research on the social impact of immersive media, including global campaigns tied to VR content.

Provides workshops, fellowships, game jams, and challenges using a signature game design curriculum that integrates computer science, STEAM, and social-emotional learning; offers professional development, curriculum guides, and training for educators to implement game-based learning in schools and communities.

Designs, produces, and releases video games and virtual reality experiences with social impact narratives, including "Concrete Genie," "Arise: A Simple Story," and the VR documentary "On the Morning You Wake," which explores nuclear threat through immersive storytelling.

Develops programs and content in collaboration with universities, nonprofit organizations, industry groups, and companies like Unity Technologies to expand the reach and effectiveness of games for social impact, including co-leading the Raising Good Gamers initiative with Take This.

Convenes social innovators, changemakers, and leaders across gaming, tech, and education sectors for talks, workshops, and networking focused on the social impact of digital games; recognized as the largest gaming event in New York City.

Runs regional chapters in Latin America (since 2010), Asia-Pacific (since 2020), Africa (since 2021), Türkiye (since 2024), Korea, India, and Hong Kong to promote games for education, health, social progress, and economic growth; supports local communities through tailored programming and movement-building.

Hosts targeted events such as the Games & Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit in Nairobi and the Next-Gen Summit to support student developers and promote global collaboration around gaming for change.