Dan Kustelski had thought about starting an organization for military veterans who worked in the gaming industry for a while. The CEO and co-founder of Chalkline and a U.S. Army veteran who attended West Point, couldn’t quite crystallize his vision of what the organization would be.
But during a conversation with the host of CDC Gaming’s Casey Gonzales at the 2024 Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Convention, the seeds of Veterans in Gaming were born.
“We actually needed to just go ahead and get the ball rolling,” Kustelski recalls. “Let’s get a logo. Let’s start to think this thing, though, about what we need.”
Veterans in Gaming is designed to be a support group for military veterans in the gaming industry. Kustelski envisions multiple prongs for the organization, from social gatherings at conferences to clearinghouses where veterans can seek employment and network.
“Every time I talk to somebody about it, they always say yes, it’s needed,” he says, adding that when he chatted with Brian Price, the Co-CEO and Founder of iProtekt, it was emphasized that Kustelski’s idea was important.
“Brian said he needed a network inside the industry where he could lean on people who have walked in his shoes,” Kustelski says.
A fun run Kustelski hosts every year at G2E also provided inspiration for the new organization.
“It was doing those fun runs that made me realize that there’s this big gap,” he says. “We needed to galvanize everybody, get them motivated.”
Kustelski has a series of goals for Veterans in Gaming in 2025, starting with getting the organization formally recognized as a non-profit.
“I think it’s realistic for us just to formalize the organization, to get the paperwork in, to get the charity set up, to get the bank accounts, to do a lot of infrastructure. Which is not sexy stuff, and it all just takes time,” he says.
Veterans in Gaming also plans to have a presence at every gaming industry conference in 2025. At this year’s IGA Tradeshow and Convention is San Diego, there are plans for another fun run. Kustelski would also like to be able to identify members with a ribbon or some other visible recognition at conferences.
“It’s continuing to get the word out there and allow people to meet other people, other veterans, and build that network,” he says.
For more information about Veterans in Gaming, go to https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13097324/
