Devices For All Pledge - Tackling The Digital Divide
By Dominic Shaw on 03/03/2021
The UK video game trade body the UK Interactive Entertainment Association (Ukie) calls on companies to donate new and used tablets, laptops and computers to support families, schools and vulnerable individuals in need as part of the Devices For All pledge.
On Tuesday 23 February 2021, Ukie launched a new campaign encouraging companies to commit to donating unwanted devices to schools and young people in need.
With the Devices For All campaign Ukie is calling on video game businesses of all sizes to sign up to the pledge. Their commitment will provide students and families across the UK with much needed devices over the next few years as part of a long-term effort to close the digital divide. This campaign can also be considered a form of socio-economic support that Ukie has approached to follow-up on some of the findings from the UK Games Industry Census 2020 that detailed social mobility and people's social background are areas of diversity and inclusion that needs to be explored further by the whole industry; which this campaign helps start work towards!
Many of the #RaiseTheGame pledge partners like Creative Assembly, Hi-Rez Studios and ustwo games are among major video game companies that have already signed up to the Devices For All pledge, with other companies being encouraged to commit to donating devices by filling out the sign up form at https://www.ukie.org.uk/device-donation-campaign.
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"There’s a need right now for devices in schools across the UK, but the digital divide is huge, existed before the pandemic and requires real, long-term solutions.
If children are unable to use the technology today then they are unlikely to become its creators tomorrow. Given everything we know about our future direction, donating devices could have an important impact on their futures, our economy and the future of digital industries in the UK.”
Shahneila Saeed, Head of Education at Ukie and Director of the Digital Schoolhouse national education programme
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According to a recent Ofcom report, up to 1.77 million children across the UK don't have access to a laptop, desktop PC or tablet to work on.
The Education Endowment Foundation also shared concerns that the digital divide could widen by as much as 75% with the poorest and most disadvantaged children worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“The UK games industry has been such a success because it has been able to tap into brilliant creative minds from across the whole country.
By donating devices to schools, and especially to those in disadvantaged areas, the industry can play a valuable role in closing the digital divide and building a more inclusive industry for the future.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie
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The full list of founding partners includes:
- Aardvark Swift.
- Co-operative Innovations.
- Creative Assembly.
- Curve Digital.
- Games Jobs Direct.
- Hi-Rez Studios.
- Kuato Studios.
- nDreams.
- Nintendo.
- OPM Jobs.
- Polystream.
- SEGA Europe.
- Sports Interactive.
- Team17.
- ustwo games.
To keep up to date with more news on the Devices For All pledge, follow Ukie's Twitter and check out the Devices For All FAQ for answers towards questions you may have.