UNICEF and video games industry highlight benefits of using video games as educational tool, in the EU and around the world

BRUSSELS, 9 April 2025 – Skills learned by playing and interacting with video games could help supercharge Europe’s digital future and benefit millions of students around the world, according to organisers of an event in Brussels today which highlighted two educational initiatives to help achieve this goal. 

The ‘How Video Games Can Support the Union of Skills’ event from Video Games Europe, The Global Video Games Coalition (GVGC), UNICEF and European Schoolnet, a network of 34 European Ministries of Education, showcased the recently-launched UNICEF Game Changers Coalition, which aims to bridge the opportunity gap in the video game and tech industries and equip girls, especially in emerging economies, to pursue careers in high-income, fast-growing industries like video games and tech. The initiative has already reached over 150,000 people, including adolescent girls, parents and teachers across 100 schools in Armenia, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan, Morocco and South Africa. Tatjana Sachse, lead spokesperson of the GVGC, said: “We are delighted to be the first industry partner of the UNICEF Game Changers Coalition, which is equipping young people with skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) through a video game-based curriculum.”

Thomas Davin, Global Director, UNICEF Office of Innovation said: “No single organisation can achieve the accelerated pace and scale of impact required to bridge the gender skills gaps. Through multisectoral collaboration this and coming generations of children and young people can have equitable access to the tools and skills required to shape a safe, secure and inclusive digital future.”

Additionally, new research was published at the event as part of the Games in Schools initiative, run by European Schoolnet with support from Video Games Europe. The research involved surveying 1,474 teachers in 26 countries in Europe and findings confirming that appropriate use of video games in the classroom enhances student motivation, supports varied learning styles and inclusivity, improves collaboration, focus and creativity and helps explain complex subjects, including for students with special needs.

Video Games Europe CEO Simon Little said: “We know that video games can have a hugely positive impact in the classroom. We know, for example, that girls that play video games are three times more likely to go on to study a STEAM subject. However, the new research also identifies the pressing need to upskill teachers so that they can access these effective teaching tools and help educate the next generation of digital citizens.”

European Schoolnet’s Head of Digital Citizenship, Hans Martens, said: “The report is a useful resource for both policymakers and educators, showcasing best practice examples and making recommendations to help harness the benefits of using video games – to enhance the learning experience for pupils and to provide innovative, effective teaching tools for teachers across Europe. Leveraging digital tools for educational growth, bridging the digital skills gap, and fostering innovative teaching strategies are all necessary for Europe’s digital future.”

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service. 

For further information, please contact:

Video Games Europe – Press Contact
Nicholas Elles
VP Communications and Public Affairs
Email: nicholas.elles@videogameseurope.eu

Heidi Lambert
tel: +44 7932141291
Press Relations
Email: heidilambert@hlcltd.co.uk

UNICEF PRESS CONTACT
Yemi Lufadeju
Communication Manager, UNICEF Office of Innovation
Email: glufadeju@unicef.org

Players are at the heart of what we do.

Since 1998, Video Games Europe has ensured that the voice of a responsible games ecosystem is heard and understood. Its mission is to support and celebrate the sector’s creative and economic potential and to ensure that players around the world enjoy the benefits of great video game playing experiences. Europe’s video games sector is worth €25.7bn, and 53% of Europeans are video game players. We publish a yearly Key Facts report with the latest data on Europe’s video games sector.

https://www.videogameseurope.eu

Games Changers Coalition

Game Changers Coalition responds to the urgency of closing the gender digital skills gap and enabling girls, especially in emerging economies, to pursue careers in high-income, fast-growing industries like video gaming and tech. This partnership brings together UNICEF with key industry leaders under the GVGC, including renowned brands such as Sony Entertainment, Roblox, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and more.

UNICEF and the Global Video Game Coalition partner to open career pathways for girls in the video game and tech sector

Geneva, 8 November 2024 – UNICEF and the Global Video Game Coalition (GVGC) announce their partnership to equip adolescent girls with the technological and leadership skills needed to thrive in a digital future. 

Every year, adolescent girls and young women in low and middle-income countries miss out on USD 15 billion in economic opportunities due to a gap in internet access and digital skills relative to their male peers. With 90 per cent of jobs today requiring digital competencies, the Game Changers Coalition responds to the urgency of closing the gender digital skills gap. 

The partnership aims to equip girls, especially in emerging economies, to pursue careers in high-income, fast-growing industries like video game and tech. 

Over the next three years, the Game Changers Coalition aims to reach 3 million girls, contributing to UNICEF’s broader goal of equipping 26 million girls worldwide with learning and skills-building opportunities to go from playing to learning to earning. 

The Game Changers Coalition will also bring together key players who contribute to the GVGC – including brands such as Electronic Arts (EA), Roblox, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft – to build a more inclusive and diverse digital future.

“The partnership between UNICEF and Global Video Game Coalition can be truly catalytic for improving outcomes for millions of adolescent girls around the world. It exemplifies how strategic, multisectoral collaborations can lead to transformative social impact,” said Thomas Davin, Director, UNICEF Office of Innovation.

The partnership was announced at the launch of the Game Changers Coalition in Geneva, an event co-hosted by UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and GVGC representatives marking the beginning of an initial one -year plan of joint activities to scale impact and technical collaboration across multiple countries. 

GVGC, represented by its co-chairs – the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Video Games Europe (VGE) – highlighted the significance of this partnership as a unique opportunity to demonstrate the video game industry’s potential for positive social change.

“The video game industry is proud to support UNICEF’s mission of promoting gender equality and empowering young girls,” said Tatjana Sachse, GVGC Lead Spokesperson & Counsel. “By creating new opportunities for girls to learn and lead, we’re helping build a more inclusive and diverse future for our industry and beyond.”

With support from the Swedish government and other key donors, the Game Changers Coalition has already demonstrated early success through a pilot programme that laid a strong foundation for scaling its customized and girl-centred Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) curriculum. To date, the initiative has reached over 100,000 adolescent girls, parents and teachers across 41 schools in Armenia, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan, and South Africa. 

“Having industry specialists as mentors has been life changing. They teach us to think smart, to be creative, and to keep pursuing our dreams in this field,” said Akmaral Nurlibekkyzy, 18, Kazakhstan.

The innovative approach of blending traditional STEAM training with the dynamic and creative medium of video game development has increased participant retention rates by up to 40 per cent compared to standard programmes. The partnership between UNICEF and GVGC will build on these early results. 

The Game Changers Coalition unites stakeholders with a shared commitment to closing gender gaps in tech and enhancing girls’ STEAM skills. Through the initiative, UNICEF is partnering with private companies, civil society organizations, governments, and young leaders to positively impact the lives of millions of girls around the world and shape the landscape of tech and video game industries that children and young people engage with every day.

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Note to Editors 

Multimedia assets available here.

The Game Changers Coalition builds on UNICEF’s existing work of providing girls with digital and 21st century skills through its  Skills4Girls initiative.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

Find out more about UNICEF Office of Innovation at unicef.org/innovation.  

About the Global Video Game Coalition

The Global Video Game Coalition (GVGC) serves as the voice and advocate for the global video game industry on video games and well-being. The GVGC is a coalition of national and regional trade associations representing innovative and creative video game publishers and developers from around the world. The GVGC seeks to cultivate a dialogue with public health policymakers about the mental, physical, and social benefits of video game play and the industry’s long-standing commitment to responsible game play.  Visit thegvgc.org for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Yemi Lufadeju, Communications Manager, UNICEF Office of Innovation Email: glufadeju@unicef.org 

Tatjana Sachse, Lead Spokesperson & Counsel for the Global Video Game Coalition Email: tsachse@sidley.com