Harnessing Video Games For Climate Victory: Can They Make A Difference?

For climate activist and university senior Amelia Southern-Uribe, video games have always offered a vital escape from reality. However, amid the escalating climate crisis and mounting anxiety among young people, games now provide more than just a diversion. They offer a sense of empowerment often lacking in real life, where aging policymakers and profit-driven corporations frequently overlook the urgent calls for climate action from youth.

Gaming as a Platform for Climate Change Communication

The connection Southern-Uribe draws between her climate activism and passion for gaming sheds light on a burgeoning social trend with potential for significant impact. A recent journal article titled “Geeks versus climate change: understanding American video gamers’ engagement with global warming” suggests that video games serve as a platform for climate change communication. Gamers are particularly receptive to climate initiatives, making gaming communities pivotal in promoting climate action.

Recognition of Video Games in Climate Mobilization

Increasingly, video games are being recognized as a catalyst to mobilize players to hold communities, the gaming industry, and governments accountable in addressing the climate crisis. National surveys reveal a positive correlation between gaming and intentions to participate in collective climate efforts, regardless of age, political affiliation, or views on global warming. Contrary to stereotypes, gamers represent a diverse demographic, encompassing a majority of adults in the United States.

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Environmental Impact and Criticisms of the Gaming Industry

Despite being a $160 billion industry, video games face scrutiny for their environmental impact. Studies highlight their significant carbon footprint, equivalent to the emissions of millions of cars annually in the US alone. Gaming’s electricity consumption in homes rivals that of dishwashers and freezers combined. Moreover, criticisms extend to the industry’s ties with the US military, a major greenhouse gas emitter, which uses gaming platforms for recruitment.

Initiatives and Partnerships for Climate Action

Nevertheless, climate organizations and gaming industry stakeholders recognize the potential of video games as tools for education and activism. Initiatives led by the United Nations, such as Playing for the Planet under UNEP and UNDP, collaborate with game developers to engage gamers in sustainable development and climate action. Events like the Green Game Jam raise awareness and funds for wildlife conservation, involving numerous game studios and targeting millions of players annually.

PlanetPlay, a non-for-profit initiative “dedicated to reversing the climate crisis through the power of people and technology,” provides valuable data both for UNDP to understand what climate policy changes people might want and for socially good-minded game developers to understand what gaming experiences most engage their players, according to Jude Ower, PlanetPlay’s chief strategy officer. “It gives studios and the industry a much clearer way to activate, rather than it being, you know, shooting in the dark,” said Ower.

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