Suzanne Seggerman never considered herself a gamer. But one day around 1990, somebody gave her “Hidden Agenda”, a computer game about Central American politics. Seggerman sat down to play and didn’t get up from her chair for ten hours. It was then she realized there was more to video games than throwing fireballs and saving princesses.

Seggerman was then determined to find other people like her who saw the potential of digital games as more than entertainment. Like Zelda’s Link hunted for treasure chests, Seggerman looked for her tribe. She went to game developer conferences, kept a running list of new games, and began meeting other people who were interested in the intersection of media and social change. All of this, in between stints as a documentary film producer at PBS and director of Web Lab think-tank.

Her persistence paid off. Almost two decades later since she sat riveted to her chair, Seggerman is now the co-founder and President of Games for Change (G4C), NY-based nonprofit that provides support, resources, and collaborative tools for people and organizations working on social change games. For someone like me who is passionate both about video games—Wii Mario Kart is my current obsession—and doing good in the world, this might be one of the coolest organizations I’ve ever heard of.

Seggerman now views digital games as one of the most effective ways to make an impact—even more so than documentary films. “In a game, you cannot move forward unless you’re engaged in learning something. I think that single fact is the most powerful one,” she says. “I think we have to recognize that games are really the primary medium of this century. Film and TV will always have their place. But for exploring serious issues, this is the way that is the best.”

So what kind of games are we talking about? There’s Peacemaker for one, which let’s you try on the perspectives of both the Israeli Prime Minister and Palestinian President. A Force More Powerful, on the other hand, trains activists in the field about nonviolent resistance techniques. And many, many more that have already captivated thousands of people from San Francisco to Seoul. Seggerman believes the possibilities for reaching new audiences are endless. “There’s just a whole lot of people who will want to play games and there aren’t necessarily games out there for them yet. But there will be,” she says. “It’s a young medium. It’s only 30 years old, and it’s growing up.”

Seggerman works hard to get the word out about these games—naturally she plays all of them—and frequently travels both nationally and internationally. When she’s not addressing game designers in Paris or virtually ensuring the health of a rural Haitian family, she’s helping organize projects like the G4C festival. Or exploring the NYC boroughs, attempting to try every ethnic cuisine possible. And of course, playing Rock Band with her office mates.