Why Every Company Needs a Gaming Strategy - joins us to explore why play matters more than ever. For people, for brands and for how we build trust in a digital world.
The debut episode of the Good Game Club Podcast drops tomorrow morning at 8am GMT, so listen along as Bastian Bergmann - Co-Founder of Solsten and author of Press Play: Why Every Company Needs a Gaming Strategy - joins us to explore why play matters more than ever. For people, for brands and for how we build trust in a digital world.
Chapters and Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome to the Good Game Club Podcast Setting the stage for why understanding players and audiences matters.
01:30 – Gaming as a Learning Medium Why adults learn best through play, and how games rewire the brain.
03:30 – Introducing Bastian Bergmann Bastian’s background, Solsten, and the intersection of AI, psychology, and player insights.
06:00 – What Is a Gaming Strategy? Why gaming is more than entertainment, it is a consumer touchpoint. 08:30 – Common Misconceptions About Gamers Why the “teenage gamer in a basement” stereotype is dangerously outdated.
12:00 – Why Every Company Needs a Gaming Strategy The data behind gaming’s dominance across generations and demographics.
17:30 – Gaming vs. Gamification Why gamification is often misapplied and what companies get wrong.
22:00 – The Four Strategic Pathways into Gaming Integration, partnerships, building games, and embedding gaming into products.
29:30 – Authenticity and Brand Risk in Games Why inauthentic brand activations fail harder inside gaming environments.
34:00 – Campaigns vs. Movements Why gaming initiatives must be long-term and always-on. 38:30 – Mastercard and Always-On Gaming Strategy How Mastercard built consumer trust through gaming without direct sales.
44:30 – Organizational Ownership of Gaming Why gaming should not be siloed or owned by a single department.
49:30 – LEGO, Minecraft, and Strategic Evolution How LEGO restructured to take gaming seriously.
55:00 – Non-Gaming Companies That Got It Right Duolingo, Peloton, and The New York Times as standout examples.
01:01:00 – Final Takeaways Why play, not platforms, is the real strategic advantage.
