In this episode of the Good Game Club Podcast, journalist, consultant, and Power Play author George Osborn explores the growing intersection between video games, politics, policy, and society. Drawing on his experience advising governments, regulators, and NGOs, George explains why games should no longer be viewed simply as entertainment products but as powerful digital communities, cultural spaces, and communication networks. The conversation covers everything from government engagement with games and election polling through in-game advertising to digital third spaces, online influence, and how the games industry can better protect play for future generations.
Power Play is published by Wildfire on the 18th June in hardback, ebook and audio. Copies are available in all bookshops and online retailers.
00:00 – Protecting Play in a Political World Why the games industry must become more assertive in defending the positive value of play.
00:51 – Meet George Osborn & Introducing Power Play George shares his background in games journalism, policy, and consulting, and introduces the central theme of his book.
02:20 – When Governments Started Seeing Games Differently How the pandemic accelerated government interest in games as communication channels.
03:10 – The Ukraine War and a Defining Moment The request that convinced George games had become part of the geopolitical information landscape.
04:20 – Why Some Governments Understand Games Better Than Others Comparing attitudes in Western democracies with countries such as Saudi Arabia.
08:33 – How Games Became a Global Communication Force The four major developments that transformed games from products into social ecosystems.
11:12 – Climate Change, UNDP and Reaching Invisible Audiences How games enabled policymakers to hear from communities that traditional channels could not reach.
13:01 – The 2024 US Election and In-Game Polling Why one polling firm successfully predicted the election by reaching voters through mobile games.
15:44 – Bellingcat, World of Warcraft and Community Intelligence How gaming community management principles helped build one of the world's most influential investigative networks.
17:22 – Influence Operations, Streamers and State Actors Examining how gaming communities can be leveraged for political influence and propaganda.
23:42 – Global Attitudes Towards Games and Regulation How different regions approach gaming culture, regulation, and national strategy.
31:00 – When Politics Uses Gaming Culture The challenges of political entities using gaming memes, imagery, and community language.
34:01 – Games as Digital Third Spaces Why games function as modern social environments and what sociology can teach us about their importance.
37:29 – Building Healthier Gaming Communities Lessons from football culture, community safety, and designing welcoming digital spaces.
42:16 – Football Manager, Cultural Impact & Final Takeaways George reflects on his favourite game and shares advice for people who still underestimate the importance of games.
Key Data Points & External References
1. Fortnite Humanitarian Fundraising George notes that Epic Games' Fortnite fundraising campaign for humanitarian relief generated more support than some nation-state contributions.Reference: Epic Games and Direct Relief fundraising campaign (2022), which raised over $144 million for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
2. 2024 US Election Polling Through GamesPolling firm J.L. Partners reportedly used in-game advertising to reach underrepresented voter groups and correctly forecast Trump's Electoral College outcome.Reference: J.L. Partners election polling methodology and post-election analysis.
3. Saudi Arabia's National Gaming Strategy
