How does the gaming industry portray a green potential?
The video game industry has enormous potential for integrating expertise in green technology, ecological responsibility, and climate enhancement. Leveraging this potential can turn games into effective instruments for educating and motivating a greener generation. The online gaming industry, a multibillion-dollar industry, is expected to grow to US$231.4 billion by 2032, from $83.9 billion in 2022.
Online gaming, like Hollywood movies features storylines about heroes fighting villains or selling digital assets. Unlike passive film viewing, gaming immerses participants as primary characters, encouraging dreamlike involvement and broadening social connections across global digital platforms.
Here are a few thought-provoking suggestions for the gaming industry’s evolution towards providing pleasant, sustainable, and climate education experiences to global youth.
Ways of Making Video Games More Green
INFRASTRUCTURE
Circular Economy Gaming
Create games that simulate a circular economy, requiring players to address environmental challenges generated by their virtual businesses. This could stimulate a shift from single-use plastics to alternatives such as canned water, emphasising practical solutions that go beyond the limited impact of plastic recycling in practice.
Virtual House
Create games in which players build houses from biodegradable materials and use technology such as bladeless windmills to generate electricity, advocating zero reliance on the grid. Incorporating Eastern architectural expertise such as “Vasthu” or “Feng-shui” could add elements of sustainability to these games, making them more attractive to architects, interior decorators, and consumers.
Nature Building Games
Create challenges in which participants create forests, spice farms, mangroves, or forest sanctuaries using indigenous trees, birds, and animals. These games need the expertise and knowledge of botany, zoology, and local ecosystems, which fosters a respect for nature while also provides practical learning experiences and real-world applications.
CONSERVATION
Ocean Preservation Challenges
Create games aimed at safeguarding marine animals and habitats. Players must deal with scenarios including protecting the ocean and its inhabitants from harmful practices such as ocean mining or industrial fishing.
Moon Mining Risks
Investigate into the risks of moon mining, emphasising its negative impact on planetary balance. Players devise strategies to offset these effects, demonstrating the repercussions of uncontrolled resource extraction on Earth and the Moon.
HEALTH IMPROVEMENT
Health Improvement Games Encourage people to improve their health by uploading full-body photos and statistics. Players can see how exercise, eating habits, positive thinking, sleep patterns, and other factors affect their personal appearance by running through numerous scenarios. Instead of simply reading about beneficial lifestyle choices, this visually appealing game has the potential to inspire them.
CORPORATIONS
Clean Tech Manufacturing Simulations
Provide instructional games that allow users to build sustainable infrastructure such as solar power plants or recycling centres. Encouraging a 100% circular economy could lead to a better understanding of different environmentally friendly technologies, such as employing microbes to recover minerals from discarded electronics or solar photovoltaics.
Energy Efficient Coding Games
Create games that promote energy-efficient coding habits, addressing concerns about excessive energy usage in technologies like AI and cryptocurrencies. Integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) themes into technical development may encourage a more responsible approach to both hardware and software design.
Conclusion
From the development process to gameplay experiences, the industry has embraced sustainability measures. Game developers are increasingly adopting eco-friendly practices, utilizing renewable energy sources, and optimizing hardware for energy efficiency.
Furthermore, video games have the power to raise environmental awareness through in-game narratives and themes, fostering a sense of responsibility among players. As the industry continues to evolve, there is a growing opportunity for video games to contribute positively to the global environmental agenda, making strides towards a greener and more sustainable future.
