Games industry must ‘bring people in, not push people out’ to unlock its potential, says Games for Change Chair Leo Olebe

The games industry risks limiting its own potential if it puts up barriers to new ideas and audiences, according to Leo Olebe, Board Chair of Games for Change, speaking on the latest episode of the Good Game Club podcast, released on 20 August.

Olebe, a 26-year games industry veteran whose career has included senior roles at Xbox, YouTube, Meta and Google, explains his philosophy as “Bring people in, don’t push people out.”

Gaming’s ability to create communities and give people a sense of identity and belonging is becoming increasingly important as the medium expands its cultural and social reach, Olebe says. “Gaming creates spaces where people’s dreams can come true, they can find their tribe, and figure out a way that they can thrive.”

“If we are creating open spaces, we're creating opportunity for people and we're lowering barriers to entry. If we're bringing people in … we have a greater capability and capacity to do something positive,” he says. “No matter what we are working on, if we’re pushing people out – we should  think about it a bit more.”

Olebe also makes the commercial case for diversity and inclusion at a time when investment priorities are being reassessed. “Diverse teams equals better business outcomes. Full stop. I don't think that's a debate anymore,” he says. He argues that persistence is essential when social-impact initiatives face pressure during tougher business cycles.

The principle of bringing people in also extends to young people and online safety. Drawing on his experience as a parent of three teenagers, Olebe says that young people “are more sophisticated, more intelligent, more savvy about safety and privacy and online activity than we believe they are,” and concludes: “When adults think that we're the only ones with the answer, we're already doing the wrong thing, right?”

Discussing the role of games more broadly, he says: “The power of games to change the world and to support people I think is limitless.” For Olebe, “gaming will continue to be the leading form of engagement and entertainment on the planet,” and he predicts that more players will find communities “in ways that maybe we've never even thought of.”

Good Game Club is hosted by Jude Ower MBE, CSO at PlanetPlay, and Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO, and is supported by the Dubai Films & Games Commission and Tencent.  It explores the cultural, social and economic impact of games through conversations with industry leaders, researchers, policymakers and creators.

The latest episode of the Good Game Club podcast can be watched here.  For more information, please visit Linktree or contact comms@goodgame.club.