The BTK Game Marathon Competition and Crystal Pixel Award Ceremony Awards Have Found Their Owners.
The program, hosted by the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK), was attended by Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, public officials, and sector representatives.
Deputy Minister Sayan: Our Children Will Use Technology But Will Not Be Addicted to It
Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, delivered a speech. Emphasizing the importance of the gaming sector, Sayan stated, “Digital technologies present us with both many opportunities and benefits alongside their risks. New breakthroughs emerge every day in these technologies, and digital transformation is advancing at a dizzying pace. In a digital age where Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and innovation are so prominently discussed and influential, staying away from technology is unthinkable. The important thing is to determine our direction and goals without getting swept away by the winds of these technologies and developments, and to progress towards them. Of course, all these efforts and labors are for our most valuable assets, our children, to reach a secure future. Our children will get to know technology, use it, but never become its slaves or addicts. Our perspective is this: while raising them in a way suitable for today's world and the future, we must also protect them from digital dangers.”
BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, who made the opening speech, said, “In recent years, with the acceleration of computers, active use of mobile phones, and effective use of tablets and desktop computers, individuals can quickly access information and easily share their existing knowledge with their surroundings. With the active use of these communication tools in the internet environment, people spend most of their time in digital spaces.”
BTK President: Digital Games Are Becoming the Center of Attention
President Karagözoğlu stated, “Humans can access, share, and store information through digital environments that are rapidly becoming part of every stage of life. Moreover, games that were previously played physically are now widely played in digital environments. Digital games today encompass a significant part of our lives. Even people who grew up with traditional gaming concepts and later encountered digital technologies—defined as ‘digital immigrants’—are now playing digital games. In addition to the pleasure and excitement of playing, the ease of access to games and game objects is turning digital games into a growing center of interest.”
BTK President: Awareness-Raising Efforts Are Our Most Important Tool
Touching on BTK's studies on the subject, Karagözoğlu said, “As the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, one of the most valuable aspects of our ongoing efforts to follow internet-related developments, guide the sector, and produce new policies is our work regarding our children’s relationship with the digital world. While enabling our children to benefit effectively and efficiently from the advantages of the internet, we work to find various ways to protect them from risks and threats, ensuring their safety. As an institution, we have conducted many studies on this topic to date. ‘Digital games,’ which have emerged as an area growing as fast as the internet and creating an agenda with its opportunities and risks, have become a subject we have focused on in recent years. Awareness-raising efforts are our most important strength and tool in this field. In this context, we have started analyzing games played on mobile and web platforms, along with their positive and negative aspects. Thus, we aim to create awareness in society, especially among our families, about the risks of games. In addition to freeing them from dangers and threats, we are also working to highlight the opportunities brought by the gaming world and the vision it can provide to our children. We have initiated studies on educational digital games that support topics such as visual attention, comparison skills, quick and accurate decision-making, strategic thinking and analysis, high concentration, probability calculation, effective use of logic, and planned action for children and youth. Along with this, we are nearing completion on our gamification project designed for use in schools to develop students' social responsibility and research skills.”
Referring also to the events organized on digital games, Karagözoğlu said, “We have also held various events on digital games. Previously, we collaborated with the Child and Information Security Association on a congress themed around digital games, along with workshops and symposia. Now, under the hosting and coordination of our institution, in collaboration with the Turkish Game Developers Association (TOGED), METU, and ATOM, we organized the ‘Game Marathon Competition’ themed ‘Educational Games’ on December 18-19-20, 2018. The ‘BTK Game Marathon,’ aimed at rapidly developing original educational-themed digital games in Turkey, opened its arms to people of all segments interested in digital game development over the age of 18. The participants who ranked in the 42-hour competition will meet their awards today at the ‘Crystal Pixel’ award ceremony, Turkey's only video game award event.”
Following the speeches, the awards were presented to the groups that won the 42-hour marathon and the winners of the Crystal Pixel Award Ceremony.