Media tends to reflect the anxieties of the time in which it is made, and one of the major societal anxieties of the current moment is the environment.Games likeMass Effect: Andromedalook at the work needed to make and keep a planet habitable for human life, for instance, andPlaying for the Planethopes to turn such messaging into action.
Game Rant caught up with Lisa Pak of the United Nations program Playing for the Planet atGamescom LATAMfor a wide-ranging interview regarding climate change, its relationship with the industry, and how everyone from an individual gamer to a major AAA publisher can take part in protecting the planet.The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What Playing for the Planet is All About
Q: Could you discuss a little bit about what Playing for the Planet is?
Pak:Playing for the Planet is an initiative by the United Nations Environment Programme. We work with the games industry, gaming studios, associations like Abragames here in Brazil, and other big companies in the industry, which we call industry supporters like Google and Unity.
Our mission really is focused, on one hand, on accelerating the speed at which the industry decarbonizes—that is, reduces—their carbon emissions. On the other hand, it’s to use games as a vehicle to teach people about climate change and the environment. They did well in 2022: the game industry’s revenue was almost $185 billion, something like that, which is three and a half times more than music and film combined. The reach is unlimited. There are 3.3 billion gamers on this planet and this is why the UN is engaged in this industry.
Within games, we really learn by doing. Games are complex systems; they teach people what to do. Once they’ve mastered one thing, they move on to the next. Our vision with these games that have live audiences that are already out there in the world, where studios have made a connection with a group of people already built communities, is how can they leverage this to teach people about the environment.
Q: Playing for the Olanet is also described as an alliance. Can you talk about how some of the companies are involved and how they aid that mission?
Pak:Yes, we currently have 47 members. We work with lots of mobile studios like Supercell and Rovio, then there are companies like Ubisoft, but we also work with Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Google, and Unity. I think the power of what we are doing really lies in the collaboration. The industry is highly competitive, but for some reason, we all managed to work together when it comes to this agenda.
There are different sizes of companies. They all have different strengths. We’re looking to combine that together; for example, dialing back decarbonization and carbon accounting is extremely complex. There are so many external companies out there that will help you with this. Everybody does things slightly differently.
At the end of last year, we published a report which is calledUntangling the Carbon Complexities of the Video Gaming Industry. This is one example of collaboration where a lot of our members provided information on what they are doing, what their challenges are, and why they are doing things the way they are doing them. We’ve published that in a report in collaboration with the alliance; we are doing everything together.
From Manufacture to Message
In gamers' minds, Xbox and PlayStation might as well be at war, so it’s very interesting that something this important can bring them into the same Alliance.
Pak:Yes. Another example: we also have packaging—working with Bandai Namco, Ubisoft, and Sega to think about reducing the amount of plastic and waste in the supply chain producing boxes for the games. Last year,Endless Dungeonof Sega was a complete cardboard box. That came out of this collaboration and then, earlier this year, Ubisoft launchedSkull and Bones, which is also completely cardboard.
It’s a lot to ensure that happens, with so many parts of the supply chain. A lot will say, “I am one studio and I want to do this. It’s such a big project. I don’t know if it’s impossible,” but when all of them team up together, and all of these companies are within the Alliance, they come to me for things like this. Now they’re doing evaluations, I believe, and working out what they do before the next steps.
Q: These big companies are doing things to attempt to combat this. But what about an individual gamer? What can they really do when they’re thinking of combating climate change?
Pak:Actually, within that report, we published 10 tips and tricks for players who want to become climate masters, so to say. I don’t know all of them by heart, but the one thing that they can do is to look at the hardware that they use. Don’t always immediately buy the newest thing. You can also look at how energy-efficient your TV is. Or, when you look at your house, do you use energy-saving homes? Or you can even go into where your electricity source comes from. With that, you can do a lot.
Of course, gaming is not going anywhere, as people should continue to game, but there are these little things. Looking at which devices you use, how you have them set up, and your electricity connection. That’s how you, as a gamer, can make an impact.
On top of that, I think it’s also extremely important to let your favorite games and companies know that you care about this agenda. Many companies are already thinking about this, but gaming studios do things for players—they build games for the people that play those games. If you raise your voice as a gamer and say, “Hey, this is important to me, I want you to do this if you’re not doing it or to do more of this.” I think that’s extremely, extremely valuable.
Q: You mentioned how some smaller studios might struggle with finding the resources to implement, for example, those cardboard boxes. In general, what can a standard AA or indie studio really do to help?
Pak:It’s finding a community because you are not the only studio that is looking to do something. Talk to others in the industry. I think also, just recently, we talked to a lot of smaller studios, as well. I just mentioned all the big guys out there, but we realized that there is a clear need for smaller studios to get guidance and support. We’ve now opened up the Alliance to smaller studios. If studios find it hard to find peers of similar size, they can also reach out to us, and then we can attempt to help. I think that’s one thing—building a crew so you don’t have to do it alone. That’s extremely important.
But then also probably for smaller studios, they will not have a huge carbon footprint in scope. They might work remotely. They don’t make offices, so I think that’s already great. Games are smaller at this point, but hopefully not later. Within this scope, there are already a lot of things that you can think about. Energy efficiency optimizations are not only good for the environment, but they also save cost. I think a lot of times when we think of doing things for the environment, we don’t realize that you’re saving costs in the long run as well.
I’m not a developer, myself. I’ve never been. I’ve always worked in marketing and on the support side of games, but I think when you start building your game, this is something that you can already do. The Xbox sustainability toolkit, for example, is available for anyone developing games for Xbox. The guidance, tips, and guidelines that they share in that kit don’t just apply to Xbox, they apply to any platform.
I think looking into things like that is something that you may already do when you start developing your game. I’m not saying develop only climate games. You know, those are very niche. We need those games to appeal to a broad audience, but think about how you can include what we call “green activation.” A small nudge to talk about something. For example, I think nature is present in every game.
When you have an environment, there’s always something nature-oriented.
Pak:There’s always something. I really think that, for every game, there is a unique way to have an effect. You know your game better than anyone else does. In the end, it’s up to the studio to brainstorm on that front, and it’s always nice to do that with others. There’s also the IGDA climate survey—I don’t know if you are familiar with them, but that’s a group and they have a Discord that anybody can join. Some really knowledgeable and motivated individuals from the industry there are always happy to help. When it comes to environmental work in the games industry, everybody’s willing.
Q: When this messaging is in a game that’s not overtly climate change-focused, but there’s an environmental message, how does that benefit when it’s just sort of naturally there?
Pak:I think it’s really good that those messages are there, and these games are played by a lot of people. I think it’s just important to find the right way to talk to players. If the message is heard, or if the message is hidden, find a way to get it out there. I think it’s important because not every person also responds the same. What you care about when it comes to the environment might be completely different than what I care about. It’s important we have these different scenarios as well.
I think narrative engagement is so powerful. Right now, within Playing for the Planet, we just kicked off a storytelling and narrative working group to find ways and best practices to get the climate message across, and something that we’ve been really inspired by is research from a guy called Kris De Meyer. He is a neuroscientist and director of the climate action unit at the University College of London. His research says that our knowledge of climate impact has increased a lot in recent years, but our willingness to act has remained the same.
With such messaging, right now, I’m really thinking, “How can we turn that into nudging someone to act and do something different?” In the end, we all get that it’s important that we think about doing things differently. You know, maybe when you’re gaming, thinking about where your electricity comes from and then optimizing your entire house. Or, when we work in the industry, how can we use the tools and things that we have to do something different? It’s important to make sure that it’s accurate and empower someone to do something—to turn into an action rather than just saying, “Oh well, climate change is a thing we need to start doing.”
Green Activation on a Global Scale
Q: On the flip side of things, how can games deal with climate change denial?
Pak:I personally always think that it’s good to focus your efforts on those who are keen to make a difference and support them with their needs. When it comes to climate deniers, they get a lot of attention. A lot of people are actually keen to do something, but many struggle to figure out where to start to say, “What can I do?” I will personally say, maybe not to focus too much of the attention there because there’s such a wide world out there and keen people.
Supporting those who want to take that first step, hoping it spreads around, seems like a good idea to me.
Pak:Often when we talk about climate change, when I talk in my friend circles, it’s always like, “Oh, we need to stop eating meat, we need to stop flying,” but the solution is also not stopping doing what we do. If we look at how we eat—if we cut out beef, for example, if I cut it out of my diet—then I could teach you to do it, plus other friends. We already have a bigger impact on the environment versus if I were going to become vegetarian by myself. Did I talk to you and other friends to inspire you to do something different?
I think that’s the messaging that we need to go with and to verify that it’s fine because we don’t have to give up everything, but we need to be mindful of the choices that we make, you know? Ask yourself the question, “Do I really need this?” That’s really the narrative of the conversation that I would like to have and that I hope we can have within the games industry.
From this alliance, it seems like that conversation is going really well.
Pak:Going very well, yeah. The industry is in a tough place with lots of layoffs. I think it’s inspiring to see the alliance’s state and what its people are interested in doing. It’s also about your needs. It doesn’t need to be perfect, right? It’s important that people start being pragmatic about what they do, and it’s a journey that never ends. We can still inspire many companies to do more.
I think regulation, too. I’m not familiar with them in the US, but with the EU, there’s the CSRD. In the UK, there are regulations here on companies that are over a certain size and I think that is also a nice push because it’s good if you’ve already started that—it’s not easy. The larger the company, the more complicated it gets. I think there’s a lot of goodwill in the industry. We always talked about what can be done, but a lot of good stuff is already there. It’s important to celebrate that as well.
A Greener Gamescom
Q: Can you speak to the relationship that you’ve seen with Gamescom and going green?
Pak:We actually work quite closely with Gamescom. I live in Berlin, so there’s Gamescom Goes Green there. For LATAM Gamescom, the first year is this year, so I will ask them. I’m not sure. The organizers of Gamescom Germany are here as well, so it is close to them. In Germany, a lot of good has been done. I think Gamescom Germany is really at the forefront of the gaming events thinking about this, as they work super closely together with a massive exhibition center.
I don’t know the ins and outs, so I have a meeting with them to talk about that, but this year they had sustainability games on screen. Last year, we had that as well and the award was given out at Opening Night Live with Geoff Keighley. I actually had the honor to give the award last year.
I think every year Gamescom tries to take measures to go to the next level and this is important. I’m not into the details of exactly what that was, but they will change this year compared to last year. I know that every year there’s a change and when you go this year—I really hope you get to go—you’ll see the sheer size of that convention center and the amount of people that are there.
Q: Has anything stood out about the showcase to you? Has there been any sort of thing that stands out to you when you say “Gamescom LATAM?”
Pak:I love the positivity here. Everyone’s very open. When I tried to talk to people about what I do, it was always like, “Wow, how can we get involved? How can we talk more?” I think there’s a really good energy here. I’ve never been to Brazil before. Everybody is friendly, willing to talk, and there’s a good vibe. To me, that’s really, really special. I’m here to get to know the Brazilian games industry. That’s what I’ve seen so far.
When the effects of climate change are so close, I think it has a very prominent spot in everything that we can do here as well. It’s also the main part of why people are so excited to hear and to talk about these things. Conversations are very different, so every year, every region has its own special thing.
We hosted a green game summit in Nairobi, Kenya earlier this year, which is the home of the UN Environment Programme. That was also such a good energy, and people are so eager to make waves. Everyone here is so passionate about what they do. To me, personally, that’s very refreshing.
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