There is no shortage of games that encourage their players to think about how the environment they live in is changing. Some games show a ravaged future Earth as Forbidden Horizon West Or Eternal Skieswhile others like Haven Or Final Fantasy 7 show other worlds ravaged by environmental devastation. The United Nations program Playing for the planet hopes that seeing these messages will prompt players to ask themselves what they can do differently to avoid such outcomes.
Game Rant met Playing for the Planet at Gamescom LATAM and spoke with Lisa Pak about the UN initiative. One of the things Playing for the Planet has done, in partnership with the industry, is answer the question of what an individual player can do.
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While preventing the worst effects of climate change may seem like an insurmountable task, and the power of any one person to act is limited, Pak says her group hopes that gaming can spark what she calls “green activation,” a desire among gamers to do more. With more than 3 billion gamers worldwide, incentivizing even small actions from the gaming community could lead to a dramatic shift in how the Earth’s future unfolds, the difference between Eternal Skies An Earth similar to Venus and something habitable and even beautiful like the Earth depicted in Ocean Star.
Despite the video game industry’s negative impact on the climate, no one at Playing for the Planet expects gamers to stop playing, Pak says. Instead, the organization encourages gamers to be mindful of their energy sources and consumption, and to communicate to publishers and developers that it supports their commitment to slowing climate change.
“Of course, gaming is not going away anytime soon, because people should continue to play, but there are these little details. Look at what devices you use, how you have them set up, and your electrical connection. That’s how you, as a gamer, can have an impact.”
One of Pak’s key points is that no climate action is too small, and that it may even be better to do small, easy things than to expect big sacrifices from people who may not be ready to make such a commitment. Games can really inspire these actions. For example, Cities: Skylines Players are aware of the problems caused by traffic jams and the importance of public transport, even without environmental considerations. Mars terraforming sim For Aspera illustrates how to power growing cities with clean, realistic energy, ranging from solar to wind to nuclear sources. Civilization 6 also clearly illustrates the ways in which a society can mitigate damage to the environment.
But it’s not just about city-building games and strategy games. Ways to combat climate change can be communicated in role-playing games, survival games, and more, and can often do so on a very personal level. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also displays a strong, active, green message for players, just like the cloud survival game Up.
“I really wonder how we can turn this into an incentive for someone to take action and do something different.” Ultimately, we all understand that it’s important to think about doing things differently. You know, maybe when you’re playing video games, thinking about where your electricity comes from and then optimizing your entire home. Or when we’re working in industry, how can we use the tools and things that we have to do something different?”
Gamescom LATAM
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Playing for the Planet knows that not everyone can do everything it takes to combat climate change, but Pak is personally excited to see how much interest in climate in gaming in general has evolved. At Gamescom LATAM in Brazil in particular, she was thrilled to see how eager attendees were to learn more about her program.
“I love the positive vibe here. Everyone is very open. When I try to talk to people about what I’m doing, I always say, ‘Wow, how can we get involved? How can we talk about this more?’… When the effects of climate change are so close, I think it’s a very important part of everything we can do here as well. It’s also the main reason why people are so excited to hear about these things and talk about them.”
Playing for the Planet has published a list of actions that players can take now, as individuals, to have a positive impact on climate change in their everyday lives. In its report, Playing for the Planet recommends that players:
Learn how to find and enable power saving settings on gaming devices.
Use gaming devices only for gaming. For other media, look for more energy-efficient options, such as a smart TV.
Trade in your old gaming devices instead of throwing them away.
Also consider purchasing refurbished devices. Not only does this allow you to reuse existing devices, it is also usually cheaper.
Make sure your gaming setup is neither too big for your needs nor too small to play the way you want.
Advocate for environmental issues with local elected officials, such as low-carbon transportation and clean energy.
Explore renewable energy options.
Know when to stream your games. Game streaming requires exceptional power consumption, but can be less intense on mobile devices.
Talk to others about green activation and see the difference a community can make by pressuring the gaming industry to decarbonize.
Keep playing! People need entertainment and joy in their lives, and games can convey meaningful messages.
Going green doesn’t mean giving up everything, or even most things, in life, Pak says. It means being aware of the steps you can take to make life a little easier on the planet.
That means being mindful of energy consumption and carbon emissions and the little things that can be done every day to slow the planet’s march that is sustaining humanity into the kind of climate apocalypse that inspires games like Floodplain land Or Land NileProtecting the habitability of the Earth is not an all-or-nothing question, but one that can be addressed one act of ecological mindfulness at a time.