S1 E9 | Games for Change with Susanna Pollock
Back when I was a kid playing Nintendo Mario, if you would’ve told me that video games could be used as a tool for positive change I would have looked at you very confused. There’s no doubt that video games and immersive digital technologies like VR and AR can entertain and take us to another world but our guest today believes they can also make positive change in people and within organizations.
Susanna Pollock is the President of Games for Change, the leading games advocate for the power of games as drivers for social impact. She works with organizations to further their mission and make a bigger impact through digital games. We got into a great conversation about games and its potential to make meaningful change at every level. We talked about how she would respond to criticism that video games have a negative impact on society and how we can think of games differently to make change in our OWN life.
We talk about
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Susanna’s story of realizing her passion for storytelling and media early on in her life (and not ever giving up on it!).
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The potential of video games and immersive technologies to: transfer knowledge, teach empathy, build awareness and build cognitive development
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How we can all use games to improve our lives or reach a goal
Mentioned in this episode and resources from today’s episode
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Games for Change– Susanna’s organization that teaches how video games and digital technologies can be used as a force for good.
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The Element by Sir Ken Robinson – a book recommended by Susanna on finding your passion
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iCivics Games – Civic Education through video games
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Zombies, Run!– a fun app to help you get running! An example of how games can be used for positive good
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Half the Sky: Turing Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Cristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
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Games for Change Library – check this out to find games to help you improve your life or learn something new!
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Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal
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TED Talk: Gaming can make a better world, Jane McGonigall
