Mission:

To advance individual understanding and use of games for personal growth and knowledge. To teach individuals the usefulness of games to support healthy, fully-functioning, and financially responsible lives.

             Objectives:

1. To advance individuals' understanding of the usefulness of games for developing critical thinking, agenda setting, strategizing and other skills

2. To advance individuals' abilities to transform skills learned through games into life skills that advance their social and economic sustainability

3. To use games to increase social capital

4. To conduct empirical research to know which games are the most appropriate for teaching certain skills

Games For Life was started out of a passion that Ron Chapman Jr. has for both games and for service.

Having worked with elementary age children while he was in high school, college, and in recent years, he has seen how engaged children can become while playing games and how easily this engagement can lead to learning and growth.

Before starting Games For Life, he worked in schools in the Atlanta area with 3rd and 4th graders who were already a few grade levels behind where they needed to be. He interacted with kindergarteners whose parents did not want them around because they were just a hindrance. However, he saw these same students light up with excitement as they got to play a game of chess with a classmate or just learn what the pieces do and where they move. He knows that their struggle to figure out a good move in chess or Scrabble is strengthening their ability to succeed in school and life.

           Why games?

There are countless games available that can be used to teach basic life skills. For example, "Monopoly" can be used to teach individuals about investing and multiplication, "Stratego" can be used to teach individuals about planning ahead, basketball can be used to teach lessons about the value of teamwork. Many individuals, and especially children, learn very well when they are interested and engaged in playing games. A primary goal of this nonprofit is to advance the learning of life skills through games for social and economic advancement.