LearnPlay Foundation (Wolverhampton, West Midlands) is thrilled to have received a grant of £34,900 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the ‘B4: Gaming project’. The funding will enable young video gamers to meet with older members of the local community, who participated and competed in club games (such as Dominoes and Darts) to learn about competitive social gaming before the digital age.

With support via The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will explore the heritage of British gaming, charting it from competitive play at social clubs within the last 50 years to the popular online video games of today. Working with local residents, it will capture the games, memories and most importantly, the people and communities that fostered around them. The young people involved will record and preserve the stories of players old and young, learning to interview, film, edit & present them to the world.

LearnPlay Foundation is a digital media organisation and registered training provider that supports community learning. Working with experienced players and digital experts the project hopes to build links between generations via shared interests and to facilitate unique and interesting conversations in an area that hasn’t been explored. E-sports and gaming are now huge industries, but national  competitive leagues for social games have existed for decades and are not currently preserved.

Commenting on the award, Project Manager (Justin Rutherford) said: “The gaming world now plays a major part in many young people’s lives and this is a wonderful opportunity to bridge intergenerational gaps between players old & young in the West Midlands. We hope to capture some incredible stories and ensure that young people acknowledge the vast history of gaming.”

LearnPlay Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation with social, educational, community and charitable objects. As a digital media organisation, we have seen success in using interactive technology as a hook to support and encourage learning in new and innovative ways.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk. 

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund  

For further information, images and interviews, please contact Justin Rutherford at LearnPlay Foundation on 01902 455 009 or fill out the form on our contact page!