Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In Episode 16, Susan talks to Global Game Jam executive director Maria Burns Ortiz about what it means to lead a veteran global community with empathy and an eye toward underrepresented creators. Drawing on her background as a journalist for outlets like ESPN, her experience co‑founding 7 Generation Games to build educational games with tribal and marginalized communities, and her first two years at the helm of GGJ, Maria shares how she works to see the organization through the perspectives of jammers in Latin America, Africa, Asia, India and beyond, how she balances legacy with necessary change, and why expanding pathways like partner jams, multilingual programs, and micro‑grants is essential if Global Game Jam is truly going to belong to the people it serves.
Guest Bio: Maria Burns Ortiz is the executive director of the Global Game Jam, which organizes the world's largest game creation event, The Global Game Jam, and the world's largest youth game jam, GGJ Next. GGJ works year-round to support the growth of game development ecosystems and champion indie developers around the world. Through these efforts, GGJ reaches over 40,000 game creators across more than 100 countries annually.
🎮 Previous to leading GGJ, she co-founded and was CEO of 7 Generation Games, creating educational and social impact games and the tools to make them. She led the development of 30+ games from concept to commercialization, aimed at closing educational and opportunity gaps in underserved communities, tackling topics from math proficiency to Indigenous language preservation to climate change. Maria transitioned to the games industry after a decade in media, where she was an award-winning journalist and NY Times bestselling author. She currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children/
Find out more about Maria and the Global Game Jam!
Maria's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mariaburnsortiz
globalgamejam.org
GGJ Socials
linkedin.com/company/global-game-jam
instagram.com/globalgamejam
facebook.com/GlobalGameJam
7generationgames.com
Our Sponsors
This episode is sponsored by the University of Miami School of Communications and the Knight Foundation.
https://com.miami.edu/department-of-interactive-media/
knightfoundation.org
This episode is sponsored by The PlayStation Hero Project.
playstation.com/en-in/india-hero-project
playstation.com/en-in/china-hero-project
playstation.com/en-in/mena-hero-project
Check out Hero Project studio Big Boot Games's Meteora: The Race Against Spacetime. Wishlist it on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1155220/METEORA/!
Sign up for the GGJ Newsletter (z6z33k.subscribepage.io/)
In Episode 16, Susan talks to Global Game Jam executive director Maria Burns Ortiz about what it means to lead a veteran global community with empathy and an eye toward underrepresented creators. Drawing on her background as a journalist for outlets like ESPN, her experience co‑founding 7 Generation Games to build educational games with tribal and marginalized communities, and her first two years at the helm of GGJ, Maria shares how she works to see the organization through the perspectives of jammers in Latin America, Africa, Asia, India and beyond, how she balances legacy with necessary change, and why expanding pathways like partner jams, multilingual programs, and micro‑grants is essential if Global Game Jam is truly going to belong to the people it serves.
Guest Bio: Maria Burns Ortiz is the executive director of the Global Game Jam, which organizes the world's largest game creation event, The Global Game Jam, and the world's largest youth game jam, GGJ Next. GGJ works year-round to support the growth of game development ecosystems and champion indie developers around the world. Through these efforts, GGJ reaches over 40,000 game creators across more than 100 countries annually.
🎮 Previous to leading GGJ, she co-founded and was CEO of 7 Generation Games, creating educational and social impact games and the tools to make them. She led the development of 30+ games from concept to commercialization, aimed at closing educational and opportunity gaps in underserved communities, tackling topics from math proficiency to Indigenous language preservation to climate change. Maria transitioned to the games industry after a decade in media, where she was an award-winning journalist and NY Times bestselling author. She currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children/
Find out more about Maria and the Global Game Jam!
Maria's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mariaburnsortiz
globalgamejam.org
GGJ Socials
linkedin.com/company/global-game-jam
instagram.com/globalgamejam
facebook.com/GlobalGameJam
7generationgames.com
Our Sponsors
This episode is sponsored by the University of Miami School of Communications and the Knight Foundation.
https://com.miami.edu/department-of-interactive-media/
knightfoundation.org
This episode is sponsored by The PlayStation Hero Project.
playstation.com/en-in/india-hero-project
playstation.com/en-in/china-hero-project
playstation.com/en-in/mena-hero-project
Check out Hero Project studio Big Boot Games's Meteora: The Race Against Spacetime. Wishlist it on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1155220/METEORA/!
Sign up for the GGJ Newsletter (z6z33k.subscribepage.io/)
