A ‘life-changing’ Sheffield project in which young people seeking sanctuary created video games is the focus of a new exhibition.<br />Children aged between eight and 14 developed two game concepts over a year-long initiative with Stand & Be Counted Theatre (SBC), the UK’s first theatre company of sanctuary, Sheffield’s National Videogame Museum and BIOME Collective.<br /><br />‘Playing with Power’ charts the process of their innovative work, from drawing initial concepts, characters and missions on paper to designing video sequences and soundtracks online.<br /><br />The exhibition launches at the videogame museum in Sheffield city centre next month.<br /><br />Smart Banda, Digital Director at SBC, said the impact of the work on the refugees and asylum seekers who embraced it was profound.<br /><br />“For many of the young people, it was life-changing,” he said. “The confidence and focus it brought out in them was incredible. The key was giving them access to a different world and facilitating a place where the kids can be their best selves. For the first time, they realised they could become a video game designer if they wanted to.<br /><br />“It was also fascinating how quickly they picked things up. By the end of the project, they were teaching us!”
