Environmental sustainability continues to gather tons of attention, especially with the growing importance of climate change. It is excellent that more industries are becoming more protective of the environment, and the gaming world is not being left behind. Accenture conducted a global survey showing that 66% of gamers are likely to play socially responsible games. Additionally, only 9% negatively react to games promoting environmental sustainability.
Gaming companies are putting their best foot forward concerning the development of greener initiatives to take care of the environment better. It can give you a clear conscience when you want to enjoy incredible deals like the Vulkan Bet no deposit bonus because, in your small way, you will also be taking care of the environment, not for yourself but for future generations. Here are a few examples of some greener initiatives that gaming companies are working with.
Educating Campaigns About Planting Trees
Many gaming companies have committed to harnessing the power of their platforms to encourage millions of gamers to take action in response to the impending climate crisis. It is bound to result in a considerable reduction of CO2 emissions by having millions of players plant trees. The voluntary commitments were announced at a UN Climate Summit in 2009. Speaking at the event, the CEO and President of Sony Interactive Entertainment said that he believes that games have the power to ignite social change through inspiring hope, evoking emotions, and educating the masses. Gaming companies were committed to incentivizing better environmental outcomes with their games without limiting enjoyment and fun for the gamers.
Green Nudges in Game Design
Game developers are going the extra mile to empower and nudge players in the right direction about climate change with their products. The Green Game Jam, an initiative by the UN Playing 4 The Planet alliance, introduced the concept. It saw several gaming companies come together to share, learn, and collaborate by exploring ways to incorporate green nudges into their live games. Playdemic won the jam when they reported that they planned to segment players based on their views on sustainability and climate change. It is a great way to counter deniers, skeptics, and believers ambitiously. Some of the most prominent developers embrace environmentalism wholeheartedly by launching green-themed activations and games. Examples of such games are:
●Pokemon Go allows gamers to clothe their characters in Earth Day-themed outfits;
●Pac-Man introduced a reforestation theme;
●June’s Journey has an option that gamers can use to purchase tree decorations in-game. The developer pledges to match this by planting real trees;
●An activation in Monument Valley 2 allows gamers to learn about the importance of trees while encouraging them to support Play4Forests, a forest conservation petition.
Environmental Friendly Commitments
Many gaming companies have committed to making several changes that are great for the future of the environment, and some of them include:
●Sony Interactive Entertainment: the company will unveil plans and progress to utilize energy-efficient technology to help avoid tons of CO2 emissions. The company also introduced low power suspend mode for next-generation play stations to report and assess their carbon footprint. It will also inspire and educate the gaming community to take action on the climate crisis.
●Ubisoft: the developer has plans to develop in-game green themes. They also stated they will source most of their materials from eco-friendly suppliers. On the same note, Sports Interactive will eliminate 20 tonnes of packaging by switching to a recycled alternative from plastic for all Football Manager releases.
●Microsoft: the firm announced the expansion of its operational commitment to carbon neutrality that it started working on in 2012 in its gaming work and devices. By 2030, the tech firm wants to reduce its supply chain emissions by at least 30%, including the end-of-life for its devices. They also have a pilot program where they wish to certify 825,000 Xbox consoles as carbon neutral. Additionally, Microsoft will engage players in sustainability efforts in the real world through its “Build a Better World” initiative from Minecraft. The popular game has already seen gamers take over 20 million actions while enjoying gameplay.
●Google Stadia: in 2009, the company launched a sustainable game development guide and funded research into effectively incorporating “green nudges into gameplay.
Green Gaming — A Collaborative Reality
It is encouraging to see that more gaming companies are willing to take action to help with the climate crisis. Through the UN Playing for the Planet Alliance, which supports the games industry in taking action to reduce environmental impact, the firms are creating compelling content and developing action steps that gamers can take to contribute towards a greener future. With almost 3 billion gamers globally, the industry has a huge opportunity to make an environmental impact through the actions it encourages and the games it develops.