Video games are an advancing form of media that can bring certain topics to light, like the radio and TV are used to promote through advertising. As climate change is becoming a worldwide issue, some developers have used environment issues as a subject matter for games. Climate Game Jams (48-hour game-building marathons focused on climate change) have also been promoted by the White House to increase awareness of environmental change. Are video games an effective tool for discussing climate change? The writer perhaps might discuss some of the games that have been built around environmental awareness.
Video games are absolutely effective tools for discussing any social change, environmental being an example. Games are designed for users to solve challenges through a myriad of different ways. Why not address solving a global crisis by...solving a global crisis? – loridonnellynj9 years ago
Not just environmental awareness in it's natural state (global warming) but a lot of dystopic games bring light to the human effects on the environment through our most destructive practices. Just look at the Fallout games! Not only is the environment molded by nuclear bombs from the past they also make players live through it's lasting affects by having to constantly deal with radiation as a hazard to their character's health. It's taught us "first hand" the life pursuing nuclear weapons will bring and warn us against it, showing us the importance of taking care of the environment in a game where you literally can't eat anything without accumulating radiation poisoning. – Slaidey9 years ago
Video games can indeed be an effective tool to communicate the problem of climate change. In fact, I participated in that game jam in which my team came up with a simulator that involved resource management and caring for the land that you harvest from. However, the biggest challenge for us was choosing a particular aspect of climate change and adding playable game elements to make the game fun and understanding. All in all, you can come up with a million good ideas for a game that deals with climate change, but only a handful of them can get made if you can get down to the difficult, technical detail to make the game actually playable so that its message is effectively communicated to the players without being in-your-face about it. – LeighCSquared9 years ago