Jessica Murrey was the first-ever guest on our Cause & Purpose podcast, and in the months following the launch of her episode she's made huge strides with her work at W!CKED SAiNTS Studios. She was signed as the first developer on Niantic's Black Developers Initiative (the makers of Pokémon Go). The five-month program provides direct support from technology experts and leaders at Niantic to build out a playable prototype, which will be completed at the end of July 2021. Read on for the full update.
The first-ever episode of Cause & Purpose featured the award-winning communications specialist, Jessica Murrey. In fact, we loved herstory so much we invited her back for the second episode as well. She’s spent her life and career focused on conflict resolution and social justice.
To date, she’s applied her insights and expertise in these areas at the Search for Common Ground, the world’s largest dedicated peace building organization. It’s here that Jessica trains the next generation in Common Ground Activism, a strategy that encourages collaborative problem-solving over competition.
This focus on shared goals instead of separate positions is how problems get solved for good. But it’s a major change, which requires reaching, understanding, and learning from people we might otherwise consider our competitors or enemies.
“One thing that becomes evident in this line of work: behavior change does not happen by giving people information—it happens through experiences. This is why stories are so important. Stories allow you to have a vicarious experience through a character, real or fiction.”
That mindset led her to launch W!CKED SAiNTS Studios, a behavioral game company that makes interactive, experience-driven, and story-based games designed to forge real-life heroes. Recently, we received some major news from Jessica about the studio and their flagship game, World Reborn.
In the months following the launch of their podcast episode, W!CKED SAiNTS completed a successful Kickstarter campaign and were the first team selected for Niantic Lab's (the makers of Pokémon Go) Black Developers Initiative. The program supports, mentors, and finances Black game development teams for the purpose of building real-world augmented reality (AR) games.
Jessica and her team will complete a five-month program with direct support from technology experts and leaders at Niantic to build out a playable prototype. W!CKED SAiNTS expects to have their prototype finished at the end of July 2021, at which point they’ll pitch the title to Niantic and hopefully continue development opportunities with them.
“My partner and I want to give GenZ fun and engaging experiences that will change them forever—experiences that will help build up their identities, who they believe themselves to be, and what they believe themselves capable of…An experience that will not only deliver a purpose, but create in them a sense of their self-efficacy; an understanding that what they think and do matters, and that they can in fact right wrongs, influence others, build movements of their own.”
If you want to learn more about W!CKED SAiNTS and World Reborn, head to their site for updates and opportunities to play-test their content so far. And be sure to check out both episodes of Cause & Purpose we recorded with Jessica, below, to get a deep dive into the ethos behind her work.
As fate would have it, we recorded Jessica's first episode just a few days before George Floyd was killed and our nation erupted into chaos. Because of her background and unique insights, we felt it was important to invite Jessica back to share her feelings about the ongoing crisis, and provide some helpful tools for addressing topics of racial injustice with those in our own communities.
Get the Episode!In our inaugural episode, Jessica Murrey joins Cause & Purpose to share stories from her life and career focused on conflict resolution and social justice. We'll delve into the importance of brand and communications strategy for nonprofits, exemplified by her work at The Search for Common Ground. We'll also discuss some of her upcoming projects, including an innovative new mobile game called Pathways, designed to teach teens about activism and self-efficacy.
Get the Episode!
Jessica Murrey was the first-ever guest on our Cause & Purpose podcast, and in the months following the launch of her episode she's made huge strides with her work at W!CKED SAiNTS Studios. She was signed as the first developer on Niantic's Black Developers Initiative (the makers of Pokémon Go). The five-month program provides direct support from technology experts and leaders at Niantic to build out a playable prototype, which will be completed at the end of July 2021. Read on for the full update.
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Read MoreSo many of us have been trained to view conflict as a zero-sum proposition, but this just isn't the truth. What if there was a way to resolve conflicts in ways that work for all stakeholders - to create a new future that allows everyone to thrive? Common Ground Activist, entrepreneur, and storyteller, Jessica Murrey is out to do just that - to empower a generation of "dragon riders" with the tools they need to build a new and better world for all of us.
Read MoreCause & Purpose is a podcast about you. It explores the lives and choices, successes, failures, and inspirations of some of the top cause-sector leaders of our time.
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