Name: Can games incite real change?
Uploaded: 2025-10-31T00:03:22.153Z
Duration: 2 min 24 s
Description: Can games help fight climate change? Developers are trying to build awareness of environmental issues through climate-themed games. But do disaster prevention and emission-cutting in games make any difference?

Can games help fight climate change? Developers are trying to build awareness of environmental issues through climate-themed games. But do disaster prevention and emission-cutting in games make any difference?

Video games are emerging as a platform for raising awareness about climate change, with hundreds of titles now addressing environmental issues through various formats, from quizzes to strategy games. Games like 'Imagine Earth' challenge players to build sustainable civilizations and manage environmental risks, offering an authentic experience of climate-related decision-making.

Research suggests that climate games can help players understand complex systems, foster a sense of responsibility, and even inspire real-world action, with one in eight gamers reportedly taking action based on in-game learning. Some games also aim to address eco-anxiety among young people, helping them cope emotionally and motivating them to engage with climate issues.

Can games incite real change?

Battling natural disasters and cutting emissions to help save a planet under pressure. Climate games help raise awareness about the consequences of climate change. The crisis has become a major theme in the gaming industry. There are already several hundred titles addressing climate change, from quizzes to complex strategy games. One of them is Imagine Earth, a survival game where players build a sustainable civilization while managing environmental risks. Climate change should be everywhere, so it should also be in games and it's the most pressing matter of our times. What we wanted to create for players is this authentic experience. So everything that happens in the game, also the emissions, the simulation, how you can compensate CO2 with forests, etc. Studies show that climate games can be powerful tools for learning. They help players understand complex systems, strengthen their sense of responsibility and even inspire action. One in eight gamers takes real-world action based on what they have learned in games. But how accurate is the science behind these games really? We all created this in a way that it feels like this makes sense. It is not so much about data or precise calculations. It is more about the experience. Other games address young people's so-called eco-anxiety. In Canada, for example, 80% of 16 to 25-year-olds say that anxiety about climate change affects their mental health. This inspired psychology professor Stefania Maggi to develop an adventure game that helps players become more eco-conscious. It also helps them to better cope with their emotions. We hope that the people who are playing this game will also go through this journey, this hero's journey, and end the process feeling more equipped and with greater quality and motivated to do something as part of the climate crisis.

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