The intersection of digital games and sustainability is slowly becoming an area of interest to an area of responsibility for game companies, developers, and gamers alike. Online gaming, loosely referred to as “internet pollution”, contributes to his 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That said, the nascent nature of the online gaming sector presents an opportunity to start early, contribute to national targets, and address these issues in the long term by setting formal emissions and climate targets. According to the India Gaming Report 2024, Interactive Entertainment and Innovation Council and his Winzo. It should also be noted that such responsible gaming standards could make the Indian gaming cluster more attractive to global consumers and investors as well.
At the global level, organizations such as the United Nations (UN) are leveraging dynamic gaming communities in initiatives such as Playing for the Planet Alliance. Playing for the Planet is an alliance that supports the online gaming industry in taking action to reduce its environmental impact.
To combat their overall carbon footprint, the gaming community is focusing on increasing environmental awareness while transforming both the game development process and game play into a greener venture. Industry players such as Sony and Guerilla Games have launched initiatives such as “Plant and Play,” which plants trees as part of the achievements of games such as “Horizon Forbidden West.”68 At the global level, organizations such as the United Nations (UN) operate. We also leverage our dynamic gaming community for initiatives like Playing for the Planet Alliance.
Playing for the Planet is an alliance that supports the online gaming industry in taking action to reduce its environmental impact. By joining the Alliance with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), gaming companies (console and online) and game studios are working towards reducing carbon emissions, integrating green activations into their games and supporting the global environmental agenda. We are taking concrete and measurable efforts. They do this through concerted action through annual events such as Green Game Jam (GGJ), which brings together the gaming ecosystem to incorporate “green activations” within games as part of fundraising and awareness raising. We aim to achieve this goal. 70 Such efforts are about more than just larger-scale initiatives. This not only engages audiences and raises awareness, but also provides an opportunity to explore new avenues of game development through “green nudges.”
Green innovation in game development
Game design itself can also be a powerful tool for driving major change at the intersection of games and sustainability. In addition to in-game donations, companies can also aim to streamline corporate funding to support climate-friendly initiatives. Industry players such as Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are aiming for ambitious environmental goals to address their carbon footprint. Sony aims to have zero environmental impact by 2050, while Microsoft plans to become carbon negative by 2030. 71 Studio aims to achieve this by implementing environmentally friendly products and services, through regular monitoring and compliance with formal standards. Gaming (console and online) relies on data centers that are known for their high carbon footprint, so the industry recognizes the importance of coming up with innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint. .
In India, given the size of the online gaming industry, it is important that industry leaders collaborate with each other to jointly address carbon impacts by streamlining investments in greener initiatives such as GGJ. is. Additionally, players should also be aware of the issue of climate change. The way developers can address this problem is by creating games that focus on the environment. One such 2D puzzle based game is his Samudra. The game takes players on an adventure in a polluted ocean to uncover the truth about the actions of “surface dwellers” that pollute the deep sea72. The game also provides an opportunity to contribute offline to various environmentally friendly activities and activities. funds. By combining in-game education with offline giving practices, games become interactive yet impactful products that allow you to create positive change while having fun while playing.
Game on climate change: An industry-led initiative
There is still much work to be done in India in terms of funding greener initiatives. However, the outlook is bright given the size of the industry and the diversity of online game companies and studios. Accepting global standards can be a good starting point for India. Playing for the Planet, in collaboration with UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), has published a Green Games Guide highlighting how gaming companies across the board can reduce their environmental footprint and collectively tackle climate change targets. The call to action highlights the importance of industry acting together to meaningfully address emissions. Indian studios and large developers would do well to start measuring their carbon footprint while funding products, projects and initiatives that benefit the environment. A good way for industry to achieve this is by targeting common emissions commitments by 2030 and adding a ‘call to action’ feature to the game, as well as supporting initiatives such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Climate Change Agreement. will participate in and sponsor global climate events. .
