ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF GAMES
The Institute of Games is a social enterprise based in Melbourne, Australia that works to keep children safe and healthy whilst playing video games.
The Institute of Games raises awareness about
risks, prevents harm and promotes the positive
impacts of video games and technology.
We achieve this by:
- studying the impacts, positive and negative, of gaming;
- sharing our learnings by creating resources and delivering training and workshops;
- creating products and programs that have a positive impact.
Our goal is to educate children so they can recognize the risks of gaming and teach them ways to mitigate or avoid these risks. This will empower them to make safe decisions online.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
All children enjoy a set of human rights as documented by the UN Convention on the rights of the child. Children’s engagement in the digital world poses an interesting duality.
On the one hand children have:
- The right to engage in play and recreational activities. Gaming is today’s most popular form of play and children have the right to enjoy it.
- The right to information and education. Games are increasingly used to provide information and educate children.
On the other hand children have:
- The right to be protected from harm. Gaming poses some risks that could harm children including gaming disorder, cyber-bullying and exploitation.
- The right to privacy. Gaming can be very social and personal and personal information is often shared with other players and the gaming platforms.
Video games need to honor the rights of the child and pro-actively work to ensure their rights are protected.
THE TEAM
Steven Dupon
Founder, CEO
Ten years ago Steven noticed the rise of video games as a popular form of entertainment. He embarked on a year long study to better understand the impact gaming was having on young people and hasn’t looked back since.
Steven is now speaker, game designer, producer, workshop faciliator, marketer, developer, advocate…
Milan Votrubec
Technical Lead
After having worked on corporate and Fortune 500 company systems for more than a decade, he transitioned to his passion career – game design and development. In the transition, he brought with him his project management skills and personal professionalism, and mixed that with a massive dollop of game development fun.
For almost 10 years now, he has been peeking behind the curtains, working out exactly how to get the most out of Unity.
Michael Tomkins
Art Director
Michael brings over 10 years experience working in games and animation, including projects with the ABC, Warner Bros, and several indie projects.
His digital work is enhanced by traditional sensitivities and rich colour perception, developed through Michael’s regular practice of oil painting.
OUR COLLABORATORS
Christof Bogacs
Writer
Christof Bogacs is a writer from Sydney, Australia. He delights in telling stories that feature optimism, heart and as many bad jokes as he can cram in.
He is the co-creator of VOLUME, an upcoming YA comic series from Scout Comics. His work has been featured in anthologies from Image, Gestalt Comics, Blueprint Comics and A Wave Blue World.
Dean Longmore
Game designer
He is passionate about taking games beyond entertainment, and sees games for change as a key to creating more engaging and rewarding experiences in our daily lives.
Georgina Bell
Social Worker
She is passionate about utilising the power of stories to support and build strong communities.