Glenn Gillis, CEO of Sea Monster, investigates how games play can change people’s attitudes to climate issues.
The UK’s climate watchdog has said the country is falling significantly behind its goal of reducing emissions by 68% by 2030. Meanwhile, a recent survey found two-thirds of adults were worried about the impact of climate change.
However, despite this awareness, climate issues still have a perception problem. Of the people surveyed who said they weren’t worried about climate change, more than half said it’s because there are more urgent priorities to worry about.
People may also feel a sense of climate fatigue, a phenomenon where constant messaging about climate change leaves people feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and less willing to engage or take action when the topic comes up in conversation or the media.
It’s clear that new approaches are necessary to inspire action.
Some pioneering businesses are tapping into the power of gaming to promote sustainability awareness and drive real-world change. From engaging consumers to mobilising communities at scale, the interactive and immersive nature of games offers a dynamic way to tackle these serious issues.
How do games help?
Businesses can make a meaningful difference by taking accountability for their actions and liaising with customers and employees about adopting environmentally friendly behaviours.
However, the most effective route to bridge the gap between awareness and action remains unclear.
No one needs another lecture about the importance of recycling, but what if there were other ways to get people to really care?
A review of more than 60 studies found that game-based learning can be a practical way to bridge this gap. It works because games engage us on a cognitive, emotional and behavioural level.
Players can learn about climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Games can be designed to simulate real-world scenarios, like the impact of an environmental disaster, allowing players to immediately see the impact of their decisions.
Climate-related quizzes, missions and problem-solving tasks can help players see how problems like deforestation contribute to global warming, revealing the systematic nature of climate issues.
The power of gaming lies in awareness-based behavioural change, and games built to do this are known as impact games. As players become more aware of the environmental implications of their actions, they are more likely to change their habits and how it affects the world around them.
Gaming initiatives to promote sustainability at scale
The Playing for the Planet Alliance is one example of the impact that gaming is already having. It was formed in 2019 when leaders in the industry came together with the collective goal of driving climate action and awareness through gaming.
One of its key initiatives, the Green Game Jam, is an annual event that encourages developers across the global games industry to collaborate and create environmentally focused in-game content for their communities.
This approach promotes awareness and action on specific environmental issues at scale by tapping into the huge audiences of popular games.
Through eco-conscious storylines, missions, and challenges that reflect the broader environmental crises, green activations in games like Subway Surfers and Clash of Clans have inspired millions of players to engage with critical themes such as the restoration and protection of vital ecosystems like the Amazon, Himalayas, and Western Indian Ocean (the 2023 game jam theme).
These games have helped motivate real-world action and foster emotional connections to environmental causes. They also show how the gaming industry has become a key player, raising over $700,000 for conservation projects in 2023, and serving as an inspiration for other businesses that want to enact meaningful change.
Tapping into games to help shape policy
The United Nations Development Programme sought to tap into the significant gaming audience in a similar way with the Mission 1.5 mobile game in 2020. This challenges users to make the right decisions to avoid global warming levels beyond 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels – a key goal of the Paris climate agreement.
More than six million people have played the game across 58 countries and it is available in 17 languages. The game stands out because it goes beyond education and asks people to cast a vote on which strategies they think would be most effective in tackling the climate crisis. The data collected through this has been discussed at high-level meetings like the G20 summit and UN Climate Conferences.
It demonstrates how a game can encourage people to think and act differently, while giving them agency to vocalise their views on critical policies.
Playing for our lives
In a world increasingly shaped by the realities of climate change, the time for conventional solutions is fast running out. By leveraging the immersive power of games, we can inspire deeper engagement, influence policy and foster real-world action at scale. Every step counts.
The climate crisis demands creativity and collaboration, and gaming could be the unorthodox yet effective tool to build a more sustainable future. The question now is: are we ready to get serious about play?
