Good Game Club podcast explores how Call of Duty is turning gaming into veteran employment impact
Good Game Club releases its latest episode on Wednesday, May 13, featuring Dan Goldenberg, President of the Call of Duty Endowment, in a timely conversation during US Military Appreciation Month about veteran employment, corporate philanthropy and measurable social impact.
Goldenberg explains how the Endowment, founded by Activision, has helped place almost 170,000 veterans into high-quality jobs and is working towards a goal of 200,000 placements across the US and UK by 2030. He says the model is significantly more cost-efficient than US government veteran employment efforts. Goldenberg argues that employment is the number one priority for service members leaving the military yet remains significantly underfunded compared with other areas of veteran support.
“In a lot of philanthropic work, companies or donors will write a big check and walk away,” says Goldenberg. “I call that fire and forget philanthropy. It just doesn’t work because if people aren’t accountable, they don’t try to get better.” He challenges companies and games studios to apply the same focus, discipline and accountability to charity that they apply to business.
Goldenberg says organisations which are serious about social impact must focus on a cause, stick with it and measure outcomes over time. “If your true goal is to have social impact, if it’s to change the game, if it’s to make lives better for people … you need to understand that space.”
The conversation also explores the role of Call of Duty players in supporting the Endowment’s mission, including in-game packs released around major franchise moments. Goldenberg says the gaming community is generous but skeptical, and that transparency about where money goes has been central to sustaining trust. “If you’re a game studio and you’re doing in-game items and you’re raising money that way, in my mind you have a responsibility to your gamers to deliver impact for them … We’re very, very transparent that every cent Activision receives for Endowment in-game items goes to the mission. Period.”
To celebrate Military Appreciation Month, the Call of Duty Endowment has launched an in-game pack in Call of Duty. 100% of Activision net proceeds from the sale of the pack go to the Call of Duty Endowment. Details can be found here - https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2026/05/call-of-duty-endowment-2026-military-appreciation-month-usaa.html
Good Game Club explores the untapped power of video games, and the positive impact digital play can have on people and the planet. Hosted by Jude Ower MBE, CSO at PlanetPlay and Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO, the show brings together voices from across games, culture, business and society to examine how video games shape modern life. It is supported by a strategic partnership with Tencent.
This episode of the Good Game Club podcast is released on May 13 and can be watched here. For more information, please visit Linktree or contact comms@goodgame.club.
