Archives
Team Fortress 2
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genshin Impact
Subway Surfers
Eco
Fate of the World
Plague Inc.
80 Days
Dishonored
Wholesome: Out and About
A Short Hike
Spec Ops: The Line
Spiritfarer
Earth Rangers
Pokémon Go
The Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle
Hungry Shark World
Ghost of Tsushima
Hoa
Stardew Valley
Forza Horizon 4
Forza Horizon 3
Cities: Skylines – Green Cities
Plasticity
Overwatch 2
Overwatch
Firewatch
Gris
Terra Nil
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
High on Life
The Outer Worlds
Horizon Zero Dawn
Educate about impact of each power setting
We can educate them about the impact each graphic settings have on power consumption and carbon emissions so that they […]
Save a Rhino
Give players agency to balance their power consumption
We can then give players agency to balance their own power consumption, so that so they can find a balance […]
Rely on smart asset and texture usage
To reduce a game’s power consumption at runtime, we can rely on smart asset and texture usage to limit GPU […]
Tailor Art Direction to your target experience
Most of the game’s power consumption comes from its graphics: the first we should do is to tailor our Art […]
Release on multiple platforms
Developers could also aim at always releasing on multiple platforms at once: it wouldn’t only increases the reach of our […]
Optimize code to reduce power consumtpion
Before thinking about doing good, we should at least ensure we do no harm. The ever increasing horsepower of our […]
Build systemically to encourage curiosity
Whenever it’s possible, We can build systematically to encourage players’ curiosity and experimentation. In the sandbox game ECO, everything is […]
Trial & error in safe environment
Games can give the opportunity for trial and error, in safe environments. In Fate Of The World, you can fail […]
Plague Inc. & real world data
Developers can ground our games in real Earth science and data, rather than making them purely fictional. The game Plague […]
Discourage negative behaviours
Game developers should strive to identify and defuse the negative behaviours we’re accidentally normalizing with videogames. The game 80 Days […]
Allow peaceful resolutions of conflict
To counteract our habits of equating conflicts with violence, games should allow peaceful resolutions of conflicts. The Dishonored series does […]
Let players experience the joy of doing good deeds
Games can let players experience the joy of doing good deeds, to encourage them to re enact them in real […]
Teach useful life skills for the future
Games can teach new life skills , directly usable in everyday lives and necessary for a sustainable yet uncertain future […]
Normalize eco conscious behaviours
Games can normalize eco-conscious and sustainable behaviours, such as low carbon activities. in the game A Short Hike, for example, […]
Discomfort in Spec Ops: The Line
Games can push players out of their comfort zone and question their assumptions, like Spec Ops: The Line did by […]
Build emotional resilience
For our brains, solving a problem in a game or in reality is more or less the same thing. And […]
Reward positive behaviours in real life
When the intrinsic motivation of doing good deeds isn’t enough, We can also add an extrinsic motivation by rewarding positive […]
Encourage contributions to organizations
Players can be encouraged to support or contribute to climate organizations, like NGOs and charities. They’re much more likely to […]
Connect with others to amplify impact
Many Climate Actions are better tackled collectively, so games could encourage players to connect with other players to amplify their […]
Point to available solutions at an individual level
The SIMS 4: Eco Lifestyle acts like a tasting platter of individual Climate Actions, where everybody can find little things […]
Motivate players to take action
The game Hungry Shark World explicitly motivate players to take action in the real world, with their Fin Ban Now […]
The beauty of nature
We can inspire players to reconnect with nature by showing it in all its beauty. The game Hoa did this […]
Happiness does not come from consumerism
We can represent happy lives that do not rely on consumerism, to deprogram the toxic dream of buying always more […]
Inspire and normalize sustainable ways of living
Cities Skyline: Green Cities does this by exposing players to modern practices of sustainable city planning. Forza Horizon 3 and […]
Illustrate the consequences of inaction
Plasticity represents a near future chocking under plastic, designed to make players react in disgust.
Display a sustainable future
We can imagine a future world in which it is possible to live a peaceful life without fossil fuels and […]
Make players reflect on meaningful topics and take action
Emotional connection is the key to making players want to invest in the real world or reflect on the meaning […]
Make hard topics visually appealing
A strong aesthetics helps to engage players on difficult topics by making them visually attractive. GRIS beautifully depicts depression and […]
Associate destructive trends with unsettling aesthetics
In Final Fantasy VII where the oppressive Midgard became the ecological wake up call of a generation of players.
Associate desirable outcomes with feel-good aesthetics
We can use rewarding and pleasing aesthetics to make the players feel good In Terra Nil restoring ecosystems happens in […]
Leverage aesthetics codes to increase the message impact
In Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, the vibrant colour palette of each level shifts the mood and creates empathy for their […]
Include indirect messages in games labelled as pure escapism
If you are afraid that players won’t like a message, you can always send an indirect message disguised as pure […]
Describe Climate Change as a legitimate threat
In Horizon Zero Dawn, Climate Change and rising sea levels are the main cause of the whole storyline.
Raise awareness about unfamiliar topics
We can draw attention to little-known topics, like in Save a Rhino, which raises players awareness about poachers in Africa’s […]
Tell stories from climate front lines
We can tell the stories of those who live on the front lines of climate change, like in Never Alone […]
Make HD assets optional during initial download
The highest resolution is not unanimously desired! If you run an older PC, have a slow internet connection, or even […]
Reduce Internet Traffic
Downloading data from the internet uses electricity, so game developers of all sizes would do well to minimize the amount […]
Build for light patches
Prep your game so you can upload neat patches instead of having to replace huge chunks of the game each time.
Delicious plant-based food
Cooking systems that dabble in plant-based food can both inspire and teach real recipes.
Repair, Re-use, Recycle
In-game economies can be circular economies - build player habits of repair and re-use, and raise the value of junk.
Bear & Breakfast
Kind is the new Cool
Kindness can move mountains.
Improve your data storage policies
Data storage needs energy: the more data you store, the higher your emissions.
Reduce your studio carbon footprint
Reduce the carbon emission of each step of the game industry lifecycle, from raw materials extraction to game data storage.
Reduce Electricity Use at Runtime
Video games use electricity. But how much? Measure and act to drastically reduce your game's direct footprint.
Release on previous generation devices
Fight device obsolescence and reduce e-waste by releasing games on previous generation devices as well.
Fold porting optimisations back into the main SKU
Bring the extra optimization done for console or mobile ports back to high-end devices.
Add a power saving mode
Add an" Eco mode" in console or games settings to save power.
SimCityEDU: Pollution Challenge
A modified version of SimCity designed to teach systems thinking.
The Metagame
Forums, fan groups, Let’s Plays, E-Sports commentary, UGC, and/or modding communities can add depth and meaning to the experience.
Facilitation & Communication
Facilitators guiding the discussion after gameplay can prompt questions to guide thinking, mitigate confusion, and create deeper understanding.
Collaboration
The act of collaborative problem solving (with players or NPCs) can greatly increase the effectiveness of a player’s learning experience.
Competition
At worst, competition without meaningful context has the risk of actively encouraging anti-environmental behaviors and thinking.
System Realism
Simulations that directly and accurately reflect a real-world system can build incredibly rich system knowledge.
Collecting Scientific Data
Game designers can gamify the collection of data such as gas levels, electrical consumption, and water quality.
Locality & Local Knowledge
While limiting in its scalability, local games are highly focused and have shown significant, measurable impact on communities in a variety of contexts.
Real World Action
Real World Action Games (RWAGs) require players to take action outside of the game, such as engaging with nature or reducing their carbon footprint.
Investment in Specifics
Including specific places or developing named, fleshed-out characters can encourage emotional investment in protecting those places or creatures.
Conflicting Goals
Conflicting goals force the player to accept limited success, choose a goal to prioritize, or risk failure by riding the fence.
Transactive Learning & Transformational Play
When player action significantly impacts the game world in ways that are visible and persistent, it can boost emotional engagement and sense of self-efficacy.
Sensory Affect
Emotional connection to environmental issues can be approached through design of visual art, audio or force feedback.
No-Win Scenarios
When used to consider real world situations, no-win scenarios can force a player to reconsider the validity of a solution they may take for granted.
New Goal Orientation
By working towards new, unfamiliar goals, players build empathy, learn, and think critically about solving real world issues.
Forced Discomfort
Players can be made to confront difficult truths or experience difficult situations by forcing discomfort through audio-visual elements, or social norm violation.
Experimentation & Inquiry
Experiment-based gameplay leads to model-based reasoning and systematic knowledge.
Intrinsic Integration
When understanding the target concepts is necessary to interact with the game, learning becomes fun.
Normalize Green Tech
Showing how green tech increases energy security, prevents environmental disasters, and decreases harm to local communities can help players understand why this innovation matters.
Foster New Eco-Masculinities
Healthy eco-masculinity can enable people to feel comfortable expressing their concern for the environment without fear of disrespect, isolation, or harm.
Incorporating Tradition
Games can actively further the teachings of indigenous peoples, with great benefits for sustainability.
When Rivers Were Trails
Beth LaPensée reinterprets The Oregon Trail from the perspective of a displaced native man.
The Rise of World Games
Games can honor the cultures of indigenous peoples across the world, and bring them to life in a new way.
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) is a cooperative platformer drawn from the folklore of Alaskan Native peoples, specifically the Iñupiat.
Celebrate Indigenous Wisdom
Indigenous communities protect 90% of the planet's remaining biodiversity, with long-standing practices that enrich climate action.
Survival Without Fossil Fuels
Survival games can think seriously about which methods of power generations are available to the player, and how they're portrayed.
Subnautica
Renewable Worldbuilding
Visions of a renewable future can come from the most unexpected games.
ArmA 3
Knowing is Half the Battle
Transformers: Earth War added a new mini-campaign to talk about renewable energy.
Transformers: Earth War
Reclaiming History
How can settler games avoid their colonial baggage and tell new stories about land and who owns it?
Before We Leave
This game applies an anti-colonialist, environmental lens on the settler genre.
The Extinction Achievement
Extinction mechanics, even when used ironically, are great at reminding players that no resource is limitless.
Red Dead Redemption
Settle With Care
What does a settler game that takes environmental consequences into account look like?
Anno 1800
Origins of Lanayru Desert
That time when Zelda offered an environmental parable.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Making Friends on the Fury Road
Signs of the Sojourner understands that community is a renewable resource.
Grief as a Game Mechanic
Signs of the Sojourner has an environmental grief system that both breaks us down and ties us together.
The Tragedy of Galarian Corsola
When coral bleaching came to Pokémon.
Pokémon Sword / Shield
Signs of the Sojourner
Meaning in a World of Ruin
Game worlds can be "transapocalyptic" - places that have collapsed, yet they still exist and they are still worth fighting for.
Final Fantasy VI
Braving the Lost Forest
When Monument Valley 2 made us think like a tree.
Monument Valley 2
Anthropomorphize Everything?
Anything can engender empathy if you put enough human features on it - so when should you?
Botanicula
Beyond Blue
Save the Sperm Whales
Beyond Blue has the player studying a specific pod of sperm whales and investigating sound pollution that disturbs their life.
Showcase a Climate Solution
Normalize real-world climate solutions by incorporating them into your world lore, story, and/or game mechanics.
Reveal Costs of Extraction
Challenge age-old gaming tropes to remind players that nothing lasts forever and that pillaging nature's pantry has consequences!
Put Down Your Tools
When your release day coincides with the world's largest climate protest, what do you prioritize?
Untitled Goose Game
Battlefield 2042
The Threat Multiplier
Games like Battlefield 2042 embody the risk of climate wars being fought in the near future. Or are they already here?
Acknowledge the Climate Emergency
"The most important thing you can do for climate - talk about it" Dr Katharine Hayhoe
Imagine a Sustainable Future
Unlike dystopias featuring urban decay and corruption, solarpunk helps us imagine worlds where crises are solved with camaraderie and ingenuity.
Facilitate Grief for the World
The climate crisis is a major existential threat that can be very overwhelming. Games and storytelling can help us process emotions into action.
Movement Building Games
Meet the games that lay the foundation for a new genre of movement building.
Suikoden
Shinra: The Face of Colonialism
Final Fantasy VII provided us with one of popular culture's most devastating caricatures of capitalism, colonialism and greed.
Oil Ocean Zone
Associating your villain with fossil fuel production has always been a classy move.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Deal: A Green New Election
Dirty Politics
Based on real events, Deal: A Green New Election puts players on a collision course with the frustrations of fossil fuel money in US politics
Oiligarchy
Oiligarchy casts the player as an oil executive tasked with growing their business at any cost.
Calling Out Fossil Fuel Corruption
In the world of Oiligarchy, addiction is the goal.
Fighting Oil Pipelines
If you wonder whether your game is making a difference, the oil industry fighting back is the clearest signal you can ask for.
Thunderbird Strike
A game steeped in Anishinaabe culture, celebrating the indigenous fight against oil pipelines in the Great Lakes region.
Erode Social License
Call out the corruption, deceit and propaganda of polluting industries, real or fictional, and help ruin their hard-won prestige in the real world!
Abstraction
Simplifying or removing the context can enable players to process new information - even if it’s not in alignment with their existing biases.
Roleplay
Taking on the role of a character allows for low-risk experimentation with different points of view to which the player may otherwise not be exposed.
Final Fantasy VII
Mass Effect 3
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Charming environmental activist simulator about documenting and helping animals, running petitions and saving a wildlife reserve from land development.
The Sims 3
Making an Activist
Nobody has to face the crisis alone. Role-playing games have a long history of challenging individualism.
Uniting the Galaxy
Description pending…
It Takes A Village
Even in single-player, single-protagonist games, stories where communities act together for change can be powerful.
Nobody is Too Small
Who can be an environmental hero? Games can show us the obvious answer: you.
Picking Up the Trash
Description pending
Onscreen Eco-lifestyles
Players can try out less resource-intense ways of living with digital roleplaying.
Inspire Collective Action
Remind players that changing the world takes more than gaming's usual individualist heroics - lasting change comes from whole communities acting together.
Elevate Environmental Champions
Let players into the minds of heroes who stand up for the planet and future generations to inspire them to be courageous.
Highlight Sustainable Behaviour
Enabling players to experience sustainable lifestyles in fictional worlds can prime them into bringing that mindset into everyday life.
Forge Emotional Bonds with Nature
Helping ourselves feel connected to nature has been proven to help us feel happier, less stressed, and more creative.