For those already on the move, the actions they are taking have moved to become part of an identity, a source of pride. For those yet to start however, it is harder… but having a category of “friends of the family” where people are supported at all phases of the journey, really matters (we’re here to help).
The energy efficiency leadership roundtable with engines, platforms and AAA studios was a really positive discussion forum. Four times bigger than in 2025, it also showed that in 12 months a lot of ground has been covered by the platforms, with more to come from others. Thanks to Microsoft for hosting it and to all those that came, we are looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Some good work has been done on this in the past, but it is often small numbers (2,000 people in the Yale Survey) or less robust data when done at scale (400,000 people in the Playing for the Planet 2022 survey). Together with Trevin York (Founder and Director at Dire Lark, A Game Design For Change Studio) we are developing a plan to strengthen the research methodology to see what we can do in the next 12 months so that everyone is better armed to share what players want on this agenda, so that the demand is driven a) from source and b) from those who matter most.
AI was very noisy at GDC and there were plenty of queues outside many rooms. Discussions ranged from the productivity dividend (with integration underway at many major studios) to the impact on jobs, creative slop and its insatiable appetite for energy. We’re looking to launch a set of practical principles and how to make sense of the energy impact of AI in a few months - watch this space.
Events and summits are only as good as the progress that is made during the days and weeks that follow. The expenditure in emissions to get to this event needs to count. Much of what happens in moving organisations and this industry forward will be unglamorous, technical and irrelevant to many, but progress is a battle against the foes of a) inertia and b) vested interests. Winning is not always easy, it takes unexpected turns but is always easier when you work with others.
Want to find out more about becoming Playing for the Planet? Get in touch: info@playing4theplanet.org
