Games for Change Turkey 2025 Festival took place at Bahçeşehir University.

Games for Change Turkey 2025 Festival Took Place at Bahçeşehir University

Professionals from the gaming industry, academics, and individuals working in the digital gaming field from various countries around the world gathered at Bahçeşehir University as part of the Games for Change Turkey 2025 Festival held on December 6–7. Hosted by Bahçeşehir University, this year's festival focused on the theme of "City and Game," exploring the relationship between urban areas, technology, and social issues. The event showcased how games are positioned not only as entertainment but also as tools for thinking, storytelling, and transformation.

Games for Change Festival and Social Impact-Oriented Games

Organized by Bahçeşehir University's Game Lab (BUG Lab), the European representative of the New York-based Games for Change platform, the festival invited participants to rethink the relationship between gaming and cities under the motto "Gaming the City, Modding the Future." Throughout the program, global issues such as the climate crisis, gender equality, the protection of cultural heritage, and animal rights were addressed through games. In addition to speeches and panels, students had the opportunity to share their developed digital game projects with the participants.

The festival brought together many names from the international gaming world. Individuals such as Adam Mirkowski (11 Bit Studios), Onat Hekimoğlu (Slow Bros), Cyrus Nemati (Little Bat Games), Felix Bohatsch (Broken Rules), Jérôme Cattenot (DOWiNO), Vincent Péquignot (Gamabilis), Dr. Oğuz Buruk (Tampere University), and Dr. Ekim Tan (Play the City) evaluated the potential of games to create social impact from different perspectives.

Rethinking Cities Through Games

In her opening speech, BAU Rector Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu emphasized that games offer a powerful narrative space to address complex issues in today's world. She pointed out that universities supporting these production areas strengthen the societal relevance of academic knowledge.

Dr. Güven Çatak, Head of the BAU Digital Game Design Department and Founding Director of BUG Lab, described cities as “massive open world games.” He articulated that cities are filled with problems, missions, and opportunities for re-design, and that games provide a strong tool to understand this complex structure.

BAU CAMPUS and Experience-Oriented Learning Approach

Bahçeşehir University views learning as a journey developed through experience, production, and interaction. Areas where students can engage with different disciplines, test their ideas, and learn through real projects are at the heart of this understanding.

BAU CAMPUS stands out as a reflection of this approach. At BAU CAMPUS, where technology, gaming, design, and creative fields come together, the aim is to enable students to become active participants and producers in the process. This structure, where students from different disciplines can collaborate on joint projects, establishes learning through mutual interaction rather than one-way transmission.

The themes of games, cities, and social impact addressed at the Games for Change Turkey 2025 Festival align with BAU's learning approach shaped by BAU CAMPUS on the same intellectual ground.