A new initiative called Global Goals, has gotten 193 global leaders committed to 17 Global Goals in order to achieve three key targets over the next 15 years: ending extreme poverty, fixing climate change, and fighting inequality and justice.

In an effort to get game developers involved, Playmob has introduced its own initiative, #WorldsBiggestGame, in the hopes of getting major platforms, studios and publishers to spread the word in the gaming community, and working in their own right to complete these goals.

Playmob founder Jude Ower recently took the time to sit down with [a]listdaily to discuss how this initiative can make “every click count.”

Where does the potential lie in games when it comes to changing the world

Games have huge reach and engagement, directly from in game, from their communities and from exposure on stores. A third of the global population play games and this rises year on year as games become more accessible so in terms of reach they have huge power. The other area we focus on is fundraisers in games which again are very impactful. Bringing communities together to focus on a common goal, such as building a school or planting trees in areas of deforestation, can tangibly show gamers their power in force. We like to show goals and transparent results, almost like using games mechanics to make progress and level up in the real world! The ultimate goal being a safer and healthier planet and people, global.

How did Playmob first come up with the #WorldsBiggestGame initiative

As part of the Project Everyone initiative to support the Global Goals, there was a Worlds Biggest Lesson and Worlds Biggest Cinema Ad initiative. No games or stores had been involved so far so we felt like we needed to create an initiative to group gamer activity together. So following on from previous initiatives, #worldsbiggestgame made a lot of sense

Social media plays a big part in this outreach, but are there other methods for players to consider Such as in the games themselves

Definitely. Most titles involved have in-game placements and items such as virtual T-shirts for players, info in the game as a button, banner or interstitial. Our ambition is for each studio and store to then support individual goals and causes to make a tangible impact. The best way for this to happen is games to run in game fundraisers to sell and donate from in app purchases, and for store to feature and promote games giving back and even look at getting involved financially too.

How big a community would you say the project has thus far

In terms of our potential reach we estimate 1.5 billion which would be the cumulative potential reach of stores, games and social media.

What would you say is the toughest part with this initiative

Time. We had around 6 weeks to bring together studios and stores. Quite a few studios just couldn’t get us into the development schedules they had already set and some were keen to have more time to do something big – they felt this deserved a bigger effort and are interested to take part afterwards on the follow up impact piece. With more time i.e. starting at least 3 months before would give us ample time to bring together more partners and allow everyone to plan ahead. In general and overall, the toughest part of this will be making sure everyone knows and once they know, how do they make an impact. All partners will have to be thinking beyond the awareness part and to the impact part, as this is the element which will drive change.

What countries are the most supportive when it comes to #WorldsBiggestGame thus far How has the community outreach been

It is hard to tell at this stage but in terms of reach, the biggest traffic has been generated from US, Brazil, Mexico, France, Germany, Turkey, Vietnam, Spain, Thailand and the UK (in order of traffic). However we know that the majority of countries globally have engaged. This may be more reflective of where the coverage is than the support so far but we will have a better idea of support towards the end of the week when we analyze the engagement metrics.

Finally, you stated in a previous interview that you see the program going big places in a year s time. What do you predict the results will be at that point

I see this program being the educational piece at the start to kick off big things. When I say that, I mean the impact that can be made. The more people aware of what needs to happen, will hopefully generate engagement in future campaigns moving forward. In a year’s time, I would love to give an update of how much was raised and the impact made and how this has contributed to the Global Goals movement. Showing specifically gaming will show that gamers can have a power impact on making a difference and completely change the opinion of games and gamers to the media. We are all about keeping the momentum going and we are already planning the year ahead and what this looks like and who could be involved. We want to help games studio, publishers, platforms and brands realize how they can unlock their audiences to make a positive difference.