Susanna Pollack, President of Games for ChangeGames for Change
For veteran media pro Susanna Pollack, storytelling is vital to every aspect of how she’s built her career and how she navigates business. As the President of Games for Change (G4C), an advocate for the power of games to drive social impact, producing projects and events around socially conscious narratives, such as the immersive virtual reality project G4C created with Princeton University to raise public awareness around nuclear risk, is par for the course.
But Susanna says that her way of connecting the dots in business and honing her own personal narrative is what’s propelled her career from developing strategic partnerships at BBC to promoting interactive experiences that spark social change and engage an array of audiences.
If you’re in business you’re a storyteller
“I’m a storyteller, but not in the traditional sense,” says Susanna. I’ve never been the creative. I can identify good storytellers and good projects, but the art of my storytelling is more about how to tell the story about opportunity. Making connections is part of sales. You have to understand who you’re talking to, and make the connection to why they would want to invest. That’s storytelling.”
It’s not only a great trade to be a storyteller, it’s a great trade to be a story listener.
Susanna first joined G4C to develop strategic partnerships with commercial partners and to secure funding.
“There was this opportunity with brands, and tech and media companies,” she says. “It’s through understanding how to have relationships with different divisions within a company that has helped me listen to what they’re looking for, and helped inform how we shape programs within the nonprofit space.”
Telling your own story will lead you to new opportunities.
One of the most invaluable lessons Susanna has learned throughout her career is that all skills are transferable.
“It’s never too late to follow something you’re passionate about,” she shares. “If that passion just means you need a change, then that’s something you need to follow. What I found in my career path even before going into television is that you have your own personal narrative and thru-line that connects where you’ve been to where you’re going. If you can make sense of it to yourself, it makes sense to other people, and you can make a career shift, which I did. I was able to articulate the connections that existed for me into something that translated into something else. It’s iterative. Your story may grow and change.”
Most of all Susanna emphasises, that the elements that make great stories in games are the same things needed in telling your own story. These include:
- Authenticity: A story you tell doesn’t have to be based on a personal experience, but to be impactful it has to be approached in an honest way.
- Clarity: With multiple storytelling platforms available to us, understanding how to communicate a story cleary, regardless of what medium you’re using, is paramount.
- Risk Taking: No great story is told by playing it safe. Try new things. Push yourself to an edge, and you’ll inspire others.
Immersive Storytelling
As for G4C’s perspective on the future of games and social impact, all eyes are on immersive storytelling. The nonprofit recently expanded its advocacy work beyond games, and developed an XR (extended reality) community.
“We saw that two of our major stakeholders were starting to explore VR and AR,” she explains. “And we found ourselves in a unique position to see how MR (mixed reality), VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality) are being used in education, health and civic issues.”
VR and AR are already being used to “revolutionize” classrooms, treat burn victims and mental health patients. And this is just the beginning.
The G4C Festival is taking place June 17-19 this year in New York City. The event has new categories including Best XR for Change Experience (which is not limited to games). Other awards will be given for Best Student Game, Most Innovative, Best Game Play, Most Significant Impact, Best Learning Game, and Game of the Year.
