Today, 3 billion people on the planet play games. From Antarctica to Vatican City, people are playing everything from Wordle to Halo, online and offline, with friends and alone. For many, games have been more than a pastime – they’ve been a lifeline. Clinical studies have shown that videogames can be a powerful platform for healing mind and body; whether through social connection, groundbreaking storylines, or integration into physical and cognitive therapies. Games are powerful. They have a unique ability to break barriers, spark imagination, and create empathy. Gaming is the only activity where strangers can come together and work as a team to achieve a goal, even if you don’t speak the same language, have never met, live in a different part of the world or have different abilities. All of this is thanks to the power of play and the incredible game creators who craft these amazing worlds. As the industry opens the systems of game development and distribution, we will see an explosion of fresh content from a wave of new creators – and it is their talent, creativity and empathy they will help us build a better world.