Videogames Mental Health Charity, Safe In Our World (www.safeinourworld.org), has welcomed Dr. Jo Twist OBE, CEO of UKIE; Kate Edwards, long-time industry advocate and Take This board member; and Doug Cockle, acclaimed actor/director/voice talent of Geralt of Rivia, star of The Witcher game series; all to serve as Patrons.
The addition of these well-regarded individuals reflects the ongoing commitment, growth and development of Safe In Our World, whose mission is helping to bring more global awareness, resources and benefits to those in need.
The goal of Safe in Our World
A worldwide effort, Safe In Our World is building a community of Patrons to help establish the charities’ output and leverage support from within the industry. If this was an ARPG, these would be the heroes battling for the greater good! The ever-growing list of Patrons mirrors the diverse industry including passionate veterans from leading publishers, developers, content creators and service areas. In addition to Patrons, Safe In Our World is building a team of Ambassadors to help share stories in an effort to further remove stigma that still exists around talking about how you feel.
Jo Twist is CEO of Ukie, the trade body for UK games and interactive entertainment, making the UK the best place in the world to make, sell and play games. In addition to her role as Chair of the BAFTA Games Committee, she is also Deputy Chair of the British Screen Forum, Trustee of Historic Royal Palaces, Ambassador on the Mayor of London’s Cultural Leadership Board, and she sits on the Creative Industries Council. In 2016 Twist was awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries and won the MCV 30 Women in Games award for Outstanding Contribution. She is a Vice President for games and accessibility charity, SpecialEffect and the UK Government’s Sector Champion for Disabilities.
Dr Jo Twist OBE Said: “I’m delighted to support Safe in our World, a charity that will play a vital role in the future of our industry for both players and creators. We all have mental as well as physical health and we need to look after both”
Kate Edwards is a 26-year veteran and an outspoken, award-winning advocate of the game industry and the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). Kate is also a geographer and corporate strategist who pioneered and specialises in content culturalisation. Following 13 years at Microsoft, she has consulted on many game and non-game projects for BioWare, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and many other companies. In 2018, she was honoured with Reboot Develop’s annual Hero Award and also presented with IndieCade’s annual Game Changer Award. In 2020, she will be honoured with GDC’s Ambassador Award. She is also profiled in the December 2018 publication Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play and in 2017 joined Take This, a US-based mental health advocacy group in the games industry.
Kate Edwards said: “I’m a huge believer in positive mental health advocacy across our industry, and am beyond enthusiastic to expand those I’m able to assist as I continue my role with Take This, while also bringing that experience to Safe in our World.”
Doug Cockle is an American actor, director and acting teacher living in the United Kingdom. For over 20 years he has worked in theatre, film, television, radio, video games and corporate video. Doug was also the Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Acting degree at the Arts University Bournemouth from 2005 to 2017. Doug has worked extensively in the video games industry and is primarily known for his work as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher video games.
Doug Cockle said: “As a long time gaming professional, I’m honoured to be involved with Safe in our World. Mental health is of paramount importance, and I aim to do all I can to take the message that nobody is alone to as wide an audience as possible.”
Officially unveiled in 2019 on World Mental Health Day, Safe in Our World is an accredited charity supported by industry luminaries, veterans and ambassadors across the world, and its mission is to create an online destination where people can seek help, gain access to resources and information, and discover stories from real people within and surrounding the games industry. Safe in Our World aims to enable conversations by destigmatising the mental health conditions; helping a generation of creators, professionals and players come together in support of each other.
In 2020, Safe In Our World will continue to make more announcements and share updates on its efforts and impact on the global gaming community.
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