Dear Designers, Social Scientists, Technologists, Game and City enthusiasts:

So you’re interested in cities, migration, and how games can tackle city challenges. In this open call, the Games for Cities program invites you to submit your vision for migration and how gaming methods can help cities adapt to unpredictable changes. See the game design parameters and guidelines for the application procedure below:

1 What
PLAY the CITY and her partners initiated the Games for Cities(gamesforcities.com) program to encourage city-game developers to tackle real urban challenges. At the same time, city decision-makers are encouraged to explore gaming as a potential method for improved city-making. We invite you to work with our team over a 3-day period to develop a city-game that puts your vision for managing migration into practice.

2 Entry Topic
While the ‘refugee crisis’ is a regular front page news story and topic of daily conversation, it is in fact only one part of a much broader phenomenon. The stark reality is that migration is a permanent and growing dynamic that 21st century cities must learn to adapt to both spatially and socially. City-games are already operational tools for complex urban challenges. How can we design and implement them for settling newcomers, and for accelerating processes of integration with local residents?

3 Who can enter
This invitation is open to both local and international applicants who can express their visions on migration through a game format. This is opened up to include both technically- and non-technically-oriented ‘designers’, from technologists and game designers, to social scientists and general city enthusiasts. All applicants must be 18 years or older.

4 The Winner
Each of the three selected winning entries will receive an amount of EUR750 to cover travel and accommodation expenses in the Netherlands for three days, while they further develop their concept in collaboration with the Games for Cities team. This includes their involvement in a City Game Talk Show event, publication of their concept, and extensive international promotion via Games for Cities’ own channels.

5 How to Enter
Applicants are invited to submit their vision for a game that could help manage any aspect of the migration challenge that Western European cities face, in no more than 500 words. You are welcome to use any medium accompanying your text, to express your concept further, as long as it is clearly communicated and able to be emailed.
Attached to your vision, please include web links to a max. 3 games that best illustrate your vision for how games can tackle city challenges – this could include games that you have personally designed, or games that you take inspiration from.

Send your submission to opencall@playthecity.eu by no later than 22:00 on 07/11/2016. The file must be no bigger than 5MB, and the written explanation must not exceed 500 words. This means that, in your text, you can include (Youtube or Vimeo) hyperlinks to videos, a web-link, an animation, a poster, an infographic, a photo montage, or any other format that you feel best illustrates your vision. If other formats are within the entry guidelines, but too large to email, please send these via Wetransfer.

Your completed application must be submitted as a single pdf file, and should include the following:
* ENTRANT: name, workplace, and brief bio/CV, including some form of photographic identity.
* VISION: Write a clear summary that highlights your specific vision for managing the tensions around mass in-migration, and how a game might help to achieve your vision. The use of both text and imagery is required, with a maximum of 500 words. The use of creative media is also encouraged.

6 The Jury
The entries will be judged by
Ekim Tan (Play the City)
Martijn De Waal (The Mobile City, AUAS Play and Civic Media)
Michiel De Lange (UU New Media Studies, The Mobile City) Michelle Provoost (International New Town Institute)
Felix Madrazo (The Why Factory, IND)

7 Rules and Conditions
The Competition shall be conducted in accordance with the following basic principles:
• Equal opportunities for all applicants;
• Assessment of the applications exclusively in accordance with clear, pre-defined and
non-discriminatory selection criteria;
• Assessment of the submitted game design visions and concepts in all phases by an independent jury;
The Jury shall endeavour to adopt decisions by consensus. If a consensus cannot be achieved, decisions shall be taken by majority vote. Before the jury’s decision is published, any contact between applicants and the staff of Games for Cities (the members of the Jury) – in relation to the competition – is prohibited.
The Jury’s decision is final.
The three selected winning applications will receive an amount of EUR750, to cover their travel to and from Amsterdam, as well as their accommodation expenses. All work created under the Competition remains the intellectual property of its creator to which Games for Cities can freely use for non-commercial gain.

Games for Cities is initiated by Play the City
Made possible by Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie

Developed in partnership with AUAS Play and Civic Media, Het Nieuwe Institute, UU New Media Studies, TU Delft The Why Factory, Pakhuis de Zwijger and The Mobile City