Wicked Saints founder Jessica Murrey on using interactive storytelling to empower the next generation to build a better world in Good Game Club podcast
April 30, 2026
The latest episode of the Good Game Club podcast features Jessica Murrey, CEO and co-founder of Wicked Saints Studios, who argues that games should do more than entertain: they should help players build confidence, navigate conflict and take action in the real world. “Our mission is to empower the next generation to build a better world and live a happier life,” she says.
Murrey, an Emmy Award-winning storyteller and former international peacebuilder, joins hosts Jude Ower and Mathias Gredal Nørvig to discuss how her studio’s flagship title World Reborn was shaped by years spent training young activists and movement leaders. She explains how the game is designed to turn in-game mastery into real-life self-efficacy, asking players to complete real-world quests linked to mental health, kindness and community action. World Reborn, currently available in early access on iOS, is released on May 14th.
Murrey says: “Behaviour change doesn't happen by just giving people information. It happens through experiences. And stories are a really powerful way that you can have an experience that you would never get to have.” World Reborn, she adds, is an “interactive story game that has real world quests that you do in real life.”
The interview is released on April 30th and comes at a moment when questions around youth wellbeing, digital culture and the social role of games are becoming harder to ignore. Murrey argues that traditional games already excel at building mastery inside fictional worlds, but that the next opportunity is to help players carry that into everyday life. “What we found was that a lot of young people felt very passionate about the world around them, but they didn’t have the self-belief or confidence that they could actually move the needle in these things that they cared about.”
In the episode, Murrey discusses her concept of “common ground activism” (“attack the problem, not the person),” her rejection of the idea that games must choose between fun and impact, and her wider view that diversity in games should be seen as a creative advantage rather than a compliance exercise.
Good Game Club is supported by a strategic partnership with Tencent. The podcast explores the hidden power of games, and the positive impact digital play can have on people and the planet. Hosted by Jude Ower MBE and Mathias Gredal Nørvig, the show brings together leaders from across games, culture, business and society to examine how games shape modern life.
For more information, please contact comms@goodgame.club.
