The Gaming Industry is Playing for the Planet

Everyone is concerned about the fate of our planet, from celebrities to children, to–gamers? While you might not think that video games have much to do with climate change, 21 of the biggest companies in the video game industry united in 2019 to form the Playing for the Planet alliance.

Their goal: To reach 900 million players, plant over a million trees, and reduce emissions by 30 million tonnes.

How they did this year

This isn’t all talk. While Covid-19 hit their time line hard, making it impossible for many of the meet-ups and planning sessions to occur, some work still managed to get done despite this major catastrophe.

In an interview with Business Insider, Sony (who makes PlayStations) was able to make the PlayStation 4 more efficient, saving about 17.4 million tonnes in emissions, and will save another estimated 17.4 million over the next decade.

Minecraft, previously a leader in sustainability with their amazing Coral Reef addition that drew attention to the importance of marine habitat, also published Climate Hope City, to show what a truly green world might look like. Angry birds, Fortnite and Clashroyale have also added ‘green nudges’ into their games.

These nudges include things like incentives to not destroying trees or nature, adding value to them during the course of the game. The hope is to show the value of nature, no matter what game you are playing.

Where they plan to go

This gaming coallition doesn’t plan to stop there. The future of Playing for the Planet includes things like games that truly showcase the environment and talk about climate change in a remarkable way, as well as VR technology that makes it easier to explore the planet we call home.

Covid-19 has slowed down the process, but it’s exciting to see that this big industry is committed to making a change for the better. With their help, we are one step closer to a carbon neutral world.