Video games have become one of humanity’s favorite forms of entertainment, with industry analysts estimating that approximately 3 billion people around the world at least casually play. People of all ages, nationalities, genders, and socioeconomic statuses enjoy games, and this broad reach has enormous potential to address climate change.

Over the past several years, researchers have begun exploring if and how video games can be used to educate, engage, and empower players on the issue of climate change. Indie developers, AAA studios, and groups like the UN-backed Playing for the Planet Alliance and the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Climate Special Interest Group (SIG) (Unity is a member of both) have started seriously looking at these questions and the broader role that the video game industry can play in addressing the climate crisis. This is the “all hands on deck” decade for climate action, and all sectors of society – including the video game industry – have important work to do. Gaming companies need to decarbonize their own operations, and they also have an incredible opportunity to shift cultural norms and knowledge. The What Do Video Gamers Think About Global Warming? report is intended to spark thinking and creativity on the latter.

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication’s studies are among the top-tier research efforts underway to track and understand people’s perceptions about climate change. So, when our team began thinking about how the video game industry could authentically and effectively engage on this topic, we immediately thought of Yale’s longitudinal study. We then convened a small but mighty advisory group – Paula Escuadra of the IGDA Climate SIG, Grant Shonkweiler of Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Jerome Hagen of Microsoft, and Sebastien Dore of Ubisoft – who generously provided their industry knowledge and perspectives.

Source: Unity Technologies Blog