Drew Valley nonprofit Jennifer Ann's Group gets an American Public Health Association award Nov. 3 as its 19th game design challenge names 11 winning games.
Jennifer Ann’s Group, a nonprofit run from the Drew Valley neighborhood in Brookhaven that works to prevent teen dating violence, will receive a national public health award on Tuesday, Nov. 3, for the free, non-violent video games it commissions and publishes.
The American Public Health Association’s section for injury control and emergency health services is giving the group its Institutional Public Service Award at the section’s awards dinner in San Antonio. The award recognizes “outstanding service from an organization for leadership in injury / violence prevention practice and advocacy,” the nonprofit said in its announcement. It said earlier winners include the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and the Safe States Alliance.
The news comes days after the group named the winners of its 19th annual game design challenge: 11 games from teams in nine countries, all made for players ages 11 to 22.
What the award is for
The nonprofit’s main program, Gaming Against Violence, “produces, publishes, and researches non-violent video games intentionally designed to empower young people and foster protective factors,” executive director Drew Crecente told Brookhaven Local Today.
The group says the program has produced more than 90 games through its yearly competition, and that the published games are free, with no advertisements or tracking code. Its organization was created in memory of Jennifer Ann Crecente, a high school senior killed by her ex-boyfriend, and has worked against teen dating violence since 2006, according to the release. It says it helped pass legislation in Texas requiring teen dating violence awareness in schools.
Crecente, the group’s founder, said of the award:
“We are honored to be recognized for our innovative and important work and are grateful to the many supporters, volunteers, game designers, and educators who have helped us build this program. Our hope is that this honor will make more public health professionals aware of our unique approach to violence prevention. We encourage them to research, share, and play these non-violent games intentionally designed to support young people and their communities.”
This year’s winners: games about toxic relationships
This year’s challenge, called toxify, asked designers to explore how young people can recognize toxic behavior, get through unhealthy relationships and support others. The results were announced at the nonprofit’s annual benefit in El Paso, Texas. The winning teams come from Argentina, Canada, China, France, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, South Korea and the United States, and the group says the games will be published in 2026 and 2027.
- First place: “Are You Sure?” by Siena Moon (NYX)
- Second place: “SAVING NINA” by Team Hoverboard
- Third place (tie): “Come to Me” by Lauren Abplanalp Özaydin; “Do Not Look at the Rabbit” by Yufei Zhu and Xinming Wu; “Think Outside the Boxhead” by Flaming Void (Wieldable Wildcards) and Kyle R. Conway (KREYC); “Today I …” by Charlotte Courtois (Miramar) and Anna Krasner
- Winning games: “Rewind the Reel” by BIT-ZRAK; “Roses Are More Than Red” by Sanjana Vinjamuri
- Qualifying finalists: “Dream Adventure” by Khazar Gorji; “Just Juniors” by Junior Justices; “my chinampa and i” by baoasamiya2002
The designers in their own words
Siena Moon, who made the first-place game, said “Are You Sure?” is about the quiet kind of unhealthy relationship:
“My game explores the idea that a relationship can be unhealthy even when neither person has bad intentions, and that constantly questioning yourself within a relationship can be a warning sign. Not every toxic relationship involves malicious intent or obvious red flags. We sometimes overlook small behaviors and convince ourselves that they aren’t serious enough to matter (or even that they’re not as harmful as what we see portrayed in the media). Through this game, I wanted to highlight how unhealthy relationships can develop in subtle, easily overlooked ways that challenge our understanding of what toxicity looks like. While developing this game, I also experienced a falling-out with someone I had been very close to for years, and working on it became a source of comfort. I hope players can relate to the story and feel understood.”
Team Hoverboard, the father and daughter behind the second-place visual novel “SAVING NINA,” said:
“We are deeply grateful for this honor. Designing a game around love, respect, and healthy boundaries challenged us to rethink how game mechanics can educate. Creating this visual novel about helping a friend navigate an abusive relationship reminded us how vital supportive networks are. We wanted players to learn how to spot red flags early, not just as bystanders, but as active allies. We are thrilled to receive this award from Jennifer Ann’s Group and hope our game encourages young people to look out for one another.”
Lauren Abplanalp Özaydin, who made “Come to Me,” one of four games tied for third, said:
“I am so thankful that ‘Come to Me’ will have the chance to make a difference for people around the world, and I appreciate Jennifer Ann’s Group for creating a space where new designers can turn their ideas into something meaningful.”
Yufei Zhu and Xinming Wu said their third-place game, “Do Not Look at the Rabbit,” avoids an easy answer:
“We do not wish to depict ‘leaving the relationship’ as an ‘all good, no bad’ solution or in a ‘why-don’t-you-just-leave-them’ tone. We wanted to acknowledge the struggle of leaving, understand why people might choose to stay, and feel the courage it takes to leave.”
The two designers of “Think Outside the Boxhead,” also tied for third, each spoke about it. Kyle R. Conway (KREYC) said:
“Flaming Void brought this contest to my attention because I was working for a Child Abuse Prevention organization at the time. I was so happy to learn that an organization like Jennifer Ann’s Group is hosting contests like this one, the Life. Love. Game Design Challenge, to get important concepts into kids’ minds and classrooms. We decided to enter the contest together as a team. Void did basically all of the coding and all of the good art for the main character, Boxhead.”
Flaming Void (Wieldable Wildcards) said:
“Working on this game was interesting. No violence put my previous game design experience through the ringer, but animating Boxhead was fun, equating him to eyebrows made drawing him make more sense, and learning UI components in the Godot game Engine was hard, and fun, and now it’s done. I also got way better at structuring games in general. Worth the time! Thank you, Jennifer Ann’s Group.”
Charlotte Courtois (Miramar) and Anna Krasner, whose “Today I …” completes the third-place tie, said:
“Today I… explores the everyday reality of being a queer, trans, and neurodivergent activist. The narrative touches on the day-to-day experiences of dysphoria and acceptance among fellow activists, as well as queer joy and solidarity in fighting for justice for our own community and others.”
Two more games were named winners. BIT-ZRAK’s “Rewind the Reel” is a pixel-art game; one scene shows a player scrolling through videos as “minutes seem to pass without you realising it.”
How the challenge works
The Life.Love. Game Design Challenge began in February 2008 and has run every year since, the group said. Entrants pitch a game on that year’s theme, and the finalists then have three to four months to build it. A panel of experts judges the entries and gives feedback. Themes cover relationship health and the protective factors linked to violence prevention.
ElsaMarie DSilva of Red Dot Foundation Global, who served on this year’s jury, said:
“This is my second year serving as a jury member, and once again I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. What struck me was how different each game was, each finding its own creative and unique way to explore, explain and educate around a complex issue. I believe games can be powerful tools for learning, especially for young people, because they allow us not just to receive information, but to make choices, experience consequences and reflect on our own behaviours. I came away from several of these games thinking differently, and that, to me, is the power of learning through play.”
What it means for you
The nonprofit’s games are free to play. Some of its latest games are at JAGga.me, and this year’s winners are listed on toxify.org. Parents, teachers and youth workers can find the wider program at GamingAgainstViolence.org.
Jennifer Ann’s Group is based at 2554 Drew Valley Road NE and can be reached at 1-877-STOP-TDV.
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