Explore our collection of past webinars, featuring insightful talks by game developers who are making a difference. Each webinar delves into the unique ways games can address and solve humanitarian issues, offering inspiration and knowledge to both developers and humanitarian advocates.

Past Webinars:

  • Title: AFTERSHOCK: A Humanitarian Crisis Game, Webinar #01
  • Date: 14th of October, 2024
  • Guest: Prof. Dr. Rex Brynen, McGill University
  • Bio: Prof. Dr. Rex Brynen is Professor of political science at McGill University and senior editor of the conflict simulation website PAXsims. He is designer of the board game AFTERSHOCK (on coordination challenges during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations) and was a member of the core design team for the digital simulations Outbreak READY! and Outbreak READY 2: Thailand in Crisis (designed to strengthen the operational and health technical readiness of non-governmental organizations to respond to large-scale infectious disease outbreaks in humanitarian contexts). In addition to his academic works he has worked as a consultant on peacebuilding, forced displacement, and development assistance to the government of Canada, UN agencies, and the World Bank.
  • For more information, see the AFTERSHOCK website at: https://paxsims.wordpress.com/aftershock/
  • Title: Antura And The Letters, Webinar #02
  • Date: 10th of December, 2024
  • Time: 14:00 CEST
  • Guest: Prof. Dr. Emmanuel Guardiola We are excited to announce the next session of the Humanitarian Game Network’s webinar series, where we explore the intersection of game design and humanitarian impact. Our guest is Prof. Dr. Emmanuel Guardiola. Prof. Dr Emmanuel Guardiola is a Professor of Game Design at the Cologne Game Lab, and the founder of the HGN. In game design research, he focuses on the way that gameplay experiences can have an impact on education, health, psychology, or humanitarian causes. He is showcasing the game Antura and the Letters, which aims to aid children that have no access to education due to the conflicts they are surrounded by. It has received numerous international awards in the field of education and humanitarianism.
    For more information, see the Antura and the Letters website at: https://www.antura.org/

Date: 13th of February, 2025
Time: 14:00 CEST
Guest: Mr. Kewan Mertens
Kewan Mertens is an interdisciplinary postdoctoral researcher at the Center of Sociology of Innovation (CSI) in Paris. His empirical work aims to generate intellectual advances concerning the way in which environmental and social sciences change the relationships between humans and their environments. He developed and tested the DisCoord board game in 2019 with the explicit intent of politicizing board games on disaster risk reduction to go beyond mere awareness-raising exercises. This is an incredible opportunity for students, academics, and professionals in the humanitarian field to engage directly with a leading figure in both humanitarian work and serious game design.

  • Title: Simulating Humanitarian Response: A Roleplay Serious Game, Webinar #04

Date: 15th of May, 2025
Time: 13:00 CEST
Guest: Prof Dr. Stela Raytcheva
Prof. Dr. Stela Raytcheva is a professor in management and organizational sciences, and Vice Director of the LAREQUOI Management Research Laboratory at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Her research focuses on co-construction of meaning, intercultural management, organizational communication, and change management. She is also interested in the impact of serious games on learning, particularly in the context of complex situations and intercultural understanding.

Title: Real and Virtual: Bridging Worlds, Generations and Cultures, Webinar #05

Date: 2nd of December, 2025
Time: 13:00 CEST
Guest:  Oleksii Sukhorukov
So many people are concerned about children living in virtual worlds, looking back nostalgically to the “old times” — without gadgets. But what if we could turn children’s passion for video games into a bridge to green grass and friendships beyond the screen? How meaningful could this be for children in difficult life circumstances — migrants, refugees, or children with special educational needs? Can we bring together children, parents, and even grandparents — as well as different experiences and cultures — by bridging online and offline games in humanitarian projects? Guest Bio: Oleksii Sukhorukov is a Ukrainian psychologist, game designer, and moderator of the Division of Cyberpsychology and Psychological Practice in a Digital Environment at the National Psychological Association of Ukraine. Having lost his home due to the Russian war against Ukraine, and as a father of a son who loved video games, he launched the HealGame Ukraine initiative in 2023, dedicated to sharing and gaining experience with professionals worldwide who use gaming approaches in their practice. As a volunteer with Malteser Werke GmbH and Team Mentale Gesundheit, in 2025 he developed Wonderworld Quest — a hybrid experience combining Minecraft gameplay with offline tasks and psychoeducational elements for Ukrainian refugee children aged 12–13 living with their families in Malteser dormitories in Germany. This work was featured in The Guardian and nominated for the Digital Ehon Award 2025 (Japan). He continues to develop safe, game-based approaches for young people that are easy for helping professionals to use — especially those bridging online and offline activities — focusing on emotional support, psychoeducation, refugee and migrant integration, inclusion, digital literacy and online safety, intercultural dialogue and cultural education, as well as youth participation and empowerment.

Title: WATERISK: Using Games to Teach Urban Water Risk Management, Webinar #06

Date: 16th of December, 2025
Time: 13:00 CEST
Guest: Saja Al Addasi
Saja Al Addasi holds a BSc in Water and Environmental Engineering from the German Jordanian University in Jordan and a Master’s degree in Integrated Water Resources Management from TH Köln, Germany. She brings around six years of professional experience in international NGOs, development, and humanitarian sectors. As part of her master’s research, Saja developed WATERISK, an educational game designed to aid education in urban water risk management and resilience planning. Her main interests include urban water management, climate change adaptation, and nature-based solutions as pathways toward building more resilient and sustainable cities

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Each webinar is available to watch on our Youtube channel. Click here to access our full archive.