AMD sponsors social change

Gaming goes from antisocial to social, with a little help from AMD.

Doing it for the, AMD says it has signed up three new partners to its Changing the Game educational initiative.

The groups AMD selected to add to its societal change involvement include Skillpoint Alliance, The World Wide Workshop Foundation's Globaloria programme and Austin based Southwest Key. The chip design company has also recommitted itself to two of its current partners - PETLab and Science Buddies - with promises of channeling additional cash their way this year.

AMD says the cash is critical in helping non-profit organisations do the jobs teachers and parents should be doing by promoting science and math skills as well as educating yoof on the importance of the environment, energy consumption, public health and other things given short shrift or entirely ignored in most school curriculums.

AMD will also sponsor the Games for Change Festival for the second year running, starting today and continuing through May 29th.

Allyson Peerman, President of the AMD Foundation, said digital gaming had "incredible power" to tap the limited teen attention span and stressed the "benefits of educating youth through game development."

Peerman also extended the hope that proliferation of social issue games would eventually help teens "become more socially responsible citizens."