Playing for the Planet

Trista Patterson

By GRID-Arendal

March 14^th, 2019

Can you name the fastest growing media platform in the world? 2.3 billion people participating, 150 billion hours per year? Global citizens spend more money on this platform than Hollywood, Bollywood, and world music revenues combined. In fact, 666 million people last year participated in this activity as a spectator sport on Twitch and Youtube - that’s more than ESPN, HBO and Netflix combined! Can you guess?

The answer: Video games.

Arms playing video games. Credit: Rob Barnes (and friends), GRID-Arendal

The video gaming industry has the potential to be a game-changer in reaching younger and broader audiences in more immersive ways, a new study from UN Environment and GRID-Arendal has revealed. Titled “Playing for the Planet”, the study was launched at the Fourth UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) earlier this week, and was written as part of UN Environment's Youth and Education Alliance programme that will be including a gaming industry component to its programme.

Ebook of the study: Click here.

“Given that the environment is itself wickedly complex, I think game-worlds have a huge potential for showing how change can ripple through systems; perhaps the first time in my life I truly grappled with the problem of industrial pollution was when I played the original SimCity and Civilization!”

says Tom Chatfield, author at Fun INC.

The findings of the study were shared with Environment Ministers attending UNEA-4 earlier this week where a session with leaders from the gaming industry, Scouts and the Olympics discussed opportunities for greater leadership from sport and youth. It will also be shared with leaders from the gaming industry at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week.

The UN argues that there is an interest in young gamers, of whom 1 in 5 are under the age of 21, to engage in issues such as climate change and nature. Popular characters and video game all-stars can be brought in to raise awareness on the issues. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named ‘Red’, a character in the Angry Birds Movie, as UN “Honorary Ambassador for Green” to urge people to act on climate change and its adverse effects.

“Two key strengths of digital games are their interactive nature and capacity for simulation. Our potential is to use games to engage, educate and involve the public in areas of social need. Most game developers don't realize they have the power to do this and the leverage to heal the world,”

Trip Hawkins, Founder of EA Games, states.

Playing for the Planet provides examples from numerous stand-out video games that will be of interest to gamers, and also parents looking for quality content to play with their children. There is a wide diversity in the video game markets that can create Sustainable Development Goals impact, whether it’s attention or donations from a large gaming audience, or focused education delivery to a smaller audience.

Numerous game genres excel at conveying concepts and perspectives of interest to audiences. The report gives stand-out examples of various games that allow players to immerse themselves in new environments and learn at the same time. When strategically oriented, these platforms can unite global citizens toward shared and global goals like never before.