A breakthrough year for game studios' sustainability efforts
Playing for the Planet Alliance’s 2022 Annual Impact Report reveals strong progress on decarbonisation from studios. Facilitated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Playing for the Planet Alliance was launched in 2019 and includes major studios including Sony Playstation, Microsoft Xbox, Supercell, Ubisoft, and Unity with 6 more studios joining the initiative in 2022 including the Pan African Gaming Group, Humble Bundle, Gameloft, Gamigo, Ohbibi, and Sumo Group.
The Green Game Jam also saw some exciting initiatives, notably a survey of nearly 400,000 gamers that showed players want studios to do more with activations in games potentially reaching up to 630 million gamers. This is just a first step towards a scientific approach to validating the demand for green content across our favourite games.
Sam Barratt, Chief of Youth, Education and Advocacy at UNEP, said:
"While there is still a long way to go, 2022 was a breakthrough year for Playing for the Planet, with more studios signing up to science-based targets and the player survey showing a real demand for such content in games."
The ambition for 2023 is to provide new guidance for the industry so that it can align with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and then create new tools built for the sector to reduce its carbon emissions with the 2023 edition of the Green Game Jam taking on the theme of restoring three critical species’ ecosystems.
The Alliance focuses on promoting collective action across the games industry. Its members benefit from a platform of scientific support as well as inspiration from other members. In this way, Alliance members can lead the way in games and across entertainment and technology. Sometimes the solutions or insights produced by the Alliance can apply to the wider games industry and therefore are disseminated accordingly.
This Report is a UNEP publication that aggregates progress made by Alliance members, summarizes new annual commitments, and serves as an accountability mechanism with those unable to fulfill their pledges seeing their membership put on hold.
It should serve as a inspiration to all gaming studios as well as provide an opportunity to celebrate the steps already taken.
