Darko Petrovic | Gaming the Food System: How Play Can Change the World

In this episode of the Good Game Club Podcast, we're joined by Darko Petrovic from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to explore how gaming can help address global hunger, inspire social change and support communities around the world. From his personal journey of finding comfort and connection through games during cancer treatment to WFP's ambitious Game the Food System initiative, Darko shares why the gaming industry has a unique opportunity to contribute to some of the world's biggest challenges. We explore the power of play to educate, build empathy and mobilise communities, and how game developers, studios and players can help create a more sustainable future. Find out more: https://gamethefoodsystem.gamesforcha... Chapters and Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to the Good Game Club Podcast Introducing Darko Petrovic and his work connecting the gaming industry with the World Food Programme's humanitarian mission. 01:43 – How Gaming Became a Lifeline Darko shares his personal journey through childhood adversity, migration and cancer treatment, and how games helped him cope, connect and find purpose. 06:21 – Why Game Developers Can Be Lifesavers Exploring the impact games can have beyond entertainment, from supporting mental wellbeing to building communities and raising funds for humanitarian causes. 08:49 – Free Rice: Turning Trivia into Real-World Impact How WFP's educational trivia game has engaged millions of players while supporting awareness and fundraising efforts. 10:16 – Game the Food System: A New Mission for Gaming Introducing WFP's initiative to bring game developers, studios and players together to explore global hunger, food sustainability and environmental challenges. 13:35 – How Game Studios Can Get Involved From indie developers and game jams to major studios, Darko explains how the industry can collaborate with WFP through storytelling, education and fundraising. 16:55 – 20 Years of Gaming for Good at WFP From Food Force and FarmVille to humanitarian training and community engagement, exploring how WFP has used games across more than 30 initiatives. 20:00 – Bringing Gaming Talent into Humanitarian Work Why the creativity, technical expertise and problem-solving skills of game developers could help transform how humanitarian organisations operate. 24:05 – What Makes a Successful Gaming for Good Partnership? The importance of authenticity, co-creation, shared objectives and understanding gaming communities when building meaningful social impact initiatives. 26:29 – Can Games Help Us Understand Global Hunger? How game mechanics, systems thinking and interactive experiences can help players understand the complexity of food systems and the causes of hunger. 30:07 – Why Civilization Is Darko's Favourite Game Darko reflects on how Civilization sparked his curiosity about history, geography, culture and the interconnected systems that shape our world. 32:44 – What Africa Can Bring to the Global Games Industry Exploring the creativity, resilience, entrepreneurship and cultural storytelling that make Africa's emerging games industry so exciting. 35:07 – How Does Your Game or Community Save the World? Darko leaves a thought-provoking question for the next Good Game Club guest about the positive impact gaming communities can create. 35:31 – Finding Your Authentic Cause in Gaming Why making a difference starts with supporting causes that genuinely resonate with your studio, your players and your community.