Grantee Spotlight on VGCUSA
We’re excited to spotlight Video Game Clubs of America, a 2025 Gamers Engaged Play-it-Forward grantee. VGCUSA aims to eliminate social isolation and enhance the lives of marginalized students by establishing inclusive gaming clubs in educational settings, where they can develop social, emotional, and career readiness skills, and form lasting friendships in preparation for the professional world.
Our Interview with VGCUSA
Gamers Engaged: How will this Play-it-Forward grant support your organization?
VGCUSA: The Play-it-Forward grant will directly support the mission of Video Game Clubs of America (VGCUSA) by expanding our Gamers Engaged initiative, which provides gaming kits to schools and community organizations across the country. These kits include tabletop games, social games, and club-building resources that help educators and youth leaders create safe and inclusive gaming spaces where students can build friendships and social emotional skills. The New Kids on the Block grant will also strengthen our 1UpEDU professional development program, which trains teachers, advisors, and youth leaders on how to use games intentionally to build social connection, collaboration, and belonging within their programs. Through 1UpEDU workshops and mentorship, educators learn how to use gaming as a tool for Social Emotional Learning and community building.
A significant portion of the funding will support LGBTQ+ community centers in Pennsylvania, helping provide gaming kits and training that allow staff and volunteers to host welcoming gaming events where young people can connect, relax, and feel safe being themselves. By combining gaming resources with educator training, this grant helps ensure that the impact of each gaming kit extends far beyond the games themselves.
Gamers Engaged: What's your vision for the future?
VGCUSA: Over the next three to five years, VGCUSA aims to build a national network of inclusive gaming clubs supported by trained educators and youth leaders. Through our 1UpEDU professional development programs, we equip teachers and community leaders with the tools and confidence to use gaming as a meaningful way to build social emotional skills and strengthen student communities.
Our goal is to place hundreds of gaming kits in schools, after-school programs, and community centers while expanding professional development opportunities that help educators sustain and grow these programs. We also plan to continue strengthening partnerships with community centers that support LGBTQ+ youth, ensuring that gaming spaces exist where young people feel welcomed, valued, and connected. Ultimately, our vision is simple: no one should ever have to eat lunch alone in a VGC world.
Gamers Engaged: What opportunities does your organization offer for community engagement?
VGCUSA: We often hear people say, “I wish I had something like this when I was in school.” That is exactly why community involvement matters so much. Members of the Gamers Engaged community can make a real difference by volunteering to help establish local gaming clubs in schools and after-school programs. Even occasional mentorship or helping a club get started can go a long way in building welcoming spaces where students connect through play. If volunteering weekly is not possible, supporters can still help by hosting a fundraising playday with friends or their local gaming community. Events like these help VGCUSA purchase additional gaming kits for teachers around the country and expand opportunities for students to build friendships through gaming.
If community members have connections with educators, youth leaders, or community organizations, we encourage them to introduce us. Teachers who receive gaming kits and training can create daily opportunities for students to connect socially through games. It may sound simple, but spreading the word about our mission makes a huge impact. Gamers Engaged supporters can also help us identify schools, libraries, and community centers that would benefit from receiving gaming kits and 1UpEDU training. By working together, we can expand access to gaming spaces that foster friendship, belonging, and positive social interaction.
Gamers Engaged: What makes you stand out from the crowd? What are you doing differently from other orgs in your space?
VGCUSA: What makes VGCUSA unique is that we combine access to games with educator training aligned to national and state education standards. Our mission is to connect kids through gaming, break down social stereotypes, and improve school culture while intentionally teaching the social emotional skills students need to thrive. While many organizations focus primarily on esports or competitive gaming, VGCUSA takes a broader approach by building inclusive gaming communities that emphasize social connection, collaboration, and belonging.
Through our 1UpEDU professional development program, we help teachers and youth leaders learn how to use games intentionally to teach communication, empathy, teamwork, and leadership. Our gaming kits are not simply boxes of games. They are paired with training, guidance, and mentorship so that clubs grow into sustainable programs rather than one time activities. We also prioritize reaching underserved schools and youth organizations, including community centers that support LGBTQ+ youth. By combining games, mentorship, and educator training, VGCUSA helps communities create gaming spaces that are welcoming, inclusive, and built to last.
Gamers Engaged: What's something really cool you have done in the past year?
VGCUSA: This past year, VGCUSA used the Gamers Engaged Grant to begin distributing gaming kits to schools, libraries, and youth organizations across the country while also expanding our 1UpEDU educator training programs. Our goal has been to make it easier for educators and community leaders to create welcoming gaming spaces where young people can connect, collaborate, and grow.
We are excited to share that our 1UpEDU programming has been well received by school systems throughout Pennsylvania, and we are continuing to advocate for tabletop gaming as a practical educational tool that supports social emotional growth in young people. Because our 1UpEDU frameworks are aligned with national and state education standards, schools are increasingly welcoming this approach and actively exploring ways to incorporate gaming into classrooms, clubs, and after-school programs. Teachers and youth leaders who receive gaming kits can also participate in professional development workshops, where they learn how to build inclusive gaming clubs and use games intentionally to support Social Emotional Learning. These trainings help educators turn gaming into a powerful tool for community building, student engagement, and positive school culture.
We are also proud to have supported local libraries around the country, helping them launch gaming programs that bring young people together in safe and welcoming community spaces. In addition, we have been fortunate to build strong relationships with organizations such as Gamers Engaged, The Cookie Brigade, Too Many Games Convention, Board Games for the Better, and the Board Game Academics, all of whom have been incredibly supportive as we continue to grow our nonprofit and expand our impact. Lastly we look forward to the partnerships we are building with LGBTQ+ community centers in Pennsylvania, where gaming kits and training have helped staff host inclusive gaming events that give young people safe places to connect and feel supported.
