The summit opened with a morning of keynote talks and groundbreaking research from leading climate and behaviour change experts alongside leaders from the games industry, with the Awards in the afternoon.
The day showed how despite upheavals across the industry, the commitment to keep working on emission reduction and engage players on these themes is continuing across the sector. The energy in the room reflected a collective determination to turn inspiration into tangible action.
Our main takeaways from the day were as follows:
Nick Poole, CEO at UKIE, reinforced that this environmental crisis is the greatest collective challenge of our times. Since – as he echoed in his welcome address – there is no Planet B, it is more important than ever to come together to support one another in a spirit of solidarity and that creativity, storytelling and world building.The unique strengths of our industry, for Nick and for Playing for the Planet, hold the key to modelling a better future for all of us, leaving the audience with the question “are we the people we have been waiting for?”
“We have power whether we want it or not, how we choose to use it is down to us. And if you have a choice, choose right” said Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO at SYBO. In a conversation with María Sayans, the CEO at ustwo Games, the two discussed how leadership from the top does matter and called for more CEOs to provide both the support, encouragement and where-needed, the air cover and financial support for sustainability actions inside studios to take root.
Stefania Innocenti, Co-Director of the Economics of Sustainability Programme at Oxford University, provided insight into a breakthrough piece of research giving a glimpse of what the industry could do at scale in terms of shifting habits and behaviour. Working with Media Molecule and Sony Interactive Entertainment, research showed that even after three weeks, players were choosing plant-based food choices off the back of socialisation and education in the game. The interest and opportunity in play was backed up by Xbox’s Senior Program Manager, Dan Jacobs, who shared that 84% of those they surveyed at Gamescom want energy saving modes built into the games they play, and 94% say they would trim power on their devices to extend play time.
Dr Tom Matthews, National Geographic Explorer & Senior Lecturer in Environmental Geography at Kings College London shared how extreme weather events will grow in their ferocity and size, but the challenge is for people to anticipate and visualise what is coming and therefore not being prepared for it. PUBG Mobile's entry in the 2024 Green Game was a visualisation of the same game map 100 years into the future of climate change and is a great example of how games can help address this challenge.
Wolfgang Blau, Global Managing Partner at Brunswick Group and formerly of The Guardian and Condé Nast, spoke about how our behavior is strongly shaped by social interactions, something that is in the DNA of many games. The games industry therefore has the potential to outperform journalism, for example, an area which traditionally relies on facts and evidence to change people’s decisions as opposed to emotional experience.
For more information on the winners of the Awards click here
For more information about becoming a Playing for the Planet Alliance member please contact info@playing4theplanet.org
