Presented by Good Game Club
Games have the power to connect people, build communities, and create meaningful change. Yet many of the stories showing gaming’s positive impact remain overlooked, leaving a gap between the industry and audiences who may not fully understand the role games can play beyond entertainment.
Jude Ower is the Chief Strategy Officer at Planet Play and co-founder of the Good Game Club Podcast, where she highlights the people, organizations, and initiatives using games to create positive outcomes around the world. Through Good Game Club, Ower is helping bring more attention to the developers, nonprofits, and creators using interactive experiences to address real-world challenges.
“There’s thousands of these stories; millions of these stories and we want to get them out there,” Ower said. “There’s a big disconnect now, there’s a generation now that don’t understand games, they may have played when they were younger but there is a disconnect between children and parents.”
Ower highlighted initiatives such as the Call of Duty Endowment, which supports veterans transitioning to civilian careers, and SpecialEffect, which creates accessible gaming experiences for people with disabilities, as examples of how games can have an impact beyond the screen.
The Good Game Club Podcast has continued to grow as a platform for these conversations, with 17 episodes available on YouTube featuring guests from across the games industry and beyond. Recent episodes include conversations with Bukola Akingbade on building Africa’s gaming future and Gautam Shah on connecting millions with nature through games.
The Good Game Club also partnered with the Dubai Film & Games Commission for a live recording at GamesBeat Summit in May, bringing together industry leaders to discuss how interactive entertainment can serve as a force for good and create meaningful social impact.
Rachel Kaser’s conversation with Jude Ower on The BIG Show explored Ower’s career journey, her work as Chief Strategy Officer at Planet Play, the mission behind Good Game Club, and the future of the Good Game Club Podcast.
The conversation highlighted how the games industry can continue building connections between players, parents, communities, and organizations by showcasing the many ways games are being used to educate, inspire, and create positive change.