Impact Games FAQs

Who are the people running the Impact Games project?

The project will be managed by Lisa Whittaker from Cardiff Science Festival with assistance from Adam Syrop from Impact Gamers, a community interest company based in Bradford.

Impact Gamers aim to inspire young people away from just game playing to become games makers through youth clubs, mentoring and live shows. They have extensive experience working with young people from low socio-economic areas and will provide online training for our researchers and computer science ambassadors. This will cover software, basic game templates, how to teach the principles of game making and how to engage with the target audience. They will also provide ongoing technical support and ensure that the prototype games produced are completed to a level which enables them to be played by a public audience.

Heulwen Thomas will co-ordinate the project on behalf of Girlguiding Cymru. Heulwen is the Event Coordinator at Girlguiding Cymru. She is also a volunteer and leader for Guides and Rangers.

What does taking part in the project involve?

Getting together and having fun is what gaming is all about. Groups will be asked to take part in 6 training sessions – these sessions will be held weekly throughout October and November and last approximately 45 mins. During these sessions’ leaders will be present in order to follow Girlguiding ratios, these leaders will also have all relevant qualifications including DBS and Safe Space, with one leader up to level 3. These sessions will be led by Impact Gamers and supported by a STEM Ambassador and a researcher. The researcher will tell you about their research and you will work in your groups to create a game based on that research. The games will be showcased at Cardiff Science Festival in February 2021 and available for you, your friends and family and members of the public will be able to play.

What are the benefits of taking part in Impact Games?

We hope that taking part in this project will have a positive impact on self-esteem, aspirations, social and IT skills.

How much time do you have to spend creating your game?

Most of the development of the games will be done within the training sessions. However, you might choose to spend more time outside of these sessions working on the game with others in your group.

Are there guidelines to follow?

This project is fully supported by Impact Gamers who are specialists in this area. Everyone from Impact Games, Cardiff Science Festival and Cardiff University know how important keeping young people safe is, how vital it is to report concerns and that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. More info can be found here http://www.impactgamers.net/safeguarding/

For more information on Girlguiding’s safeguarding policies and what to do if a girl makes a concerning disclosure to you visit https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/running-your-unit/safeguarding-and-risk/concerns-about-girls

What about the current situation with COVID-19 restrictions?

We have developed this project in light of the current situation. Games from the project will be shared online and showcase events at the festival can also be delivered to small groups at a time. If there are restrictions in place next year during the festival it is possible to move to an exclusively online showcase.

If you have any further questions please contact: heulwen.thomas@girlguidingcymru.org.uk