Gamers should save the world with sunflowers
Time is over for digital games primarily revolving around violence and destruction. More games are engaging with environmental themes. For instance, in the popular "Terra Nil," the goal is to build a living ecosystem.
Rescue a coral reef, make barren land fertile, create habitats for animals: The strategy game "Terra Nil" aims to build a living ecosystem. More and more video games are addressing environmental issues. Even the United Nations are trying to raise awareness about the climate crisis through computer games.
"It was about showing that it's possible to develop a strategy game where the environment isn't exploited," says Sam Alfred, the creator of "Terra Nil. Initially, he was met with rejection. "They laughed at me because it's a game where it's not about shooting people or mindlessly expanding," the 30-year-old from South Africa recalls.
However, according to publisher Devolver Digital, 300,000 gamers play "Terra Nil" and learn, for example, how to decontaminate radioactively contaminated zones with sunflowers.
From "Cities Skylines" to "Green Cities"
In bestsellers of the industry, it's still mostly about violence and destruction instead of saving the global ecosystem. However, games have been addressing environmental protection for some years now.
Since 2017, there's been an expansion for city-building simulation "Cities: Skylines" called "Green Cities," where players must consider the environmental impact when building their city. "Green Cities" surprisingly polarized the audience," recalls Mariina Hallikainen from Finnish game developer Colossal Order. "People accused us of ruining the game by making it political." In the strategy game "Civilization," the climate change played a role for the first time in 2019.
Benjamin Abraham, who specializes in environmental issues in the video game industry, says games are getting better at representing parameters like weather or global warming. However, it's still challenging for developers to incorporate the sometimes unpredictable human decisions, like political measures.
With approximately three billion people playing video games at least once a year, climate activists have long seen gamers as a potential audience. The UN claims its climate game "Mission 1.5" reached over six million people.
Five years ago, the Game Developers Association (IGDA) founded the Climate Action Group. "You developers have a superpower: You speak to three billion players who trust you, and you can convey complex problems in an entertaining and engaging way," appealed Arnaud Fayolle from game publisher Ubisoft last year to the industry, to focus on environmental themes.
The Climate Action Group now comprises nearly 1500 professionals from the industry, scientists, and environmental experts, sharing knowledge to incorporate climate issues into video games and sensitize players to the cause. "The idea is to create a positive cultural impact through aesthetics, stories, game mechanics, and technology," says Fayolle. He wants to encourage players to take action for the climate.
Even the energy-intensive Gaming Industry can still do a lot for climate protection. Some games now offer an Eco-Mode, which reduces the power consumption of consoles and computers. An update from "Fortnite", one of the most played games in the world, reduces graphic quality when the player is inactive. According to developer Epic Games, this could save almost 73 Gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. That's the annual consumption of a medium-sized European city with 30,000 inhabitants.
The 35 largest video game companies, according to Abraham, emitted more than 81 million metric tons of Carbon Dioxide in 2022 - as much as all of Belgium. The energy consumption from gaming itself is not even included in that figure.
Technology plays a crucial role in helping developers create more energy-efficient gaming modes, such as the Eco-Mode in some games. This feature can significantly reduce power consumption, saving electricity equivalent to a medium-sized European city annually.
Climate change is a theme increasingly being addressed in video games, with more developers incorporating environmental themes into strategy games like "Terra Nil" and "Cities: Skylines' Green Cities". These games not only raise awareness about environmental issues but also provide engaging learning experiences on topics like decontamination and sustainable city planning.
