Video Games and Environmental Education

This World Environment Day let's have a look at video games and environmental education. Today a modern and digital classroom is implementing video games in gamers’ education regarding environmental issues. Environmental issues like climate change, the decline in biodiversity, and pollution present some of the most critical problems we face today. So it becomes our duty to educate our children in the most effective way possible regarding these matters. Seeing as some 74 per cent of parents believe video games can be educational for their children, teaching kids through video games is a no-brainer.

Gamers have reached 2.6 billion, so activists, artists, and governments hope to reach people through this medium. Games are usually bound by nothing but imagination. This means we can teach our kids with the help of immersive environments and near-realistic simulations. Video games can teach gamers about the science behind climate change. It can teach them about the impact of pollution on human health, and the importance of sustainability. But the most important thing about video games is that they can be fun and engaging while being educational.

So in this article, we will explore how video games can raise awareness about environmental issues and encourage action. We will examine their impact on ecological consciousness and activism, and how effective game-based learning is.

Environmental Issues and Encouraging Action

When we show the impact of all our planet’s environmental issues, we immerse gamers and show them the consequence of inaction. Therefore, games that have a dystopian theme can be most effective. Unfortunately, however, few feature a catastrophe due to climate change or manufactured pollution.

As things get more severe and we sustain more environmental issues, will there be a reflection in popular culture and video games? These games can depict the consequences of environmental problems. Such things as the devastating effects of natural disasters or the decline of wildlife populations. And by solving those problems in video games, gamers will be encouraged to solve them in the real world.

Teaching Environmental Sustainability

Games like “Eco” where your goal is to create a civilisation capable of stopping a meteor without destroying the ecosystem in the process. It teaches gamers how they can stave off disaster without sacrificing the environment. Some gamers who have played the game for 200+ hours say they try to walk more, eat less meat, and carry their water.

Additionally, environmental video games can encourage gamers to become ecological activists by providing information about environmental organisations and their initiatives. They can also show various ways for players of getting involved in environmental causes.

However, some games offer a different perspective and can encourage unsustainable and destructive practices. For example, games like Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch teach players that they can chop trees, harvest plants, and exploit the environment without repercussions.

Streaming Games about Environmental Issues

Unfortunately, streaming games online has had little impact so far. Some environmental streamers succeeded, like Hunter Wild, but most see a modest uptick when streaming games like Eco or Civilization VI: Gathering Storm. These games are educational, but unfortunately, they could be more fun to watch.

Environmentalists had the most success when streaming popular games like Fortnite or DOTA. They talked about environmental issues, answered questions, and promoted websites that deal with our declining environment. Twitch and Discord create opportunities for the immediate, active back-and-forth interactions gamers know and love.

Environmental Issues through Virtual Reality

Virtual reality offers the best kind of immersion a player can experience, at least. With VR, you have all the control and see the consequences of environmental issues around you.

One example of a game like that is Martial Arts Tycoon. You train people in your martial arts gym, and at one point, you do it on the roofs of Brazil’s favelas. As temperatures get hotter, so do your fighters get more damage from heat exhaustion. Only when you invest in shades and provide your fighters with water do you mitigate the damage caused by heat. Heatwaves get names, and all get rated.

This is an example of a clever implementation of climate change and environmental issues of Brazilian weather. Although the game isn’t about climate change directly, it addresses it and warns about the dangers of heat waves.

In conclusion

Video games have the potential to be a powerful tool for positive change when it comes to environmental issues. Games can educate players about the importance of sustainability and inspire them to make positive changes in their lives by showing them how easy individual actions can be.

By using best practices in game development and working with environmental experts and educators, we can create fun and educational games. Video games can be essential for positive change in the fight against climate change and other environmental issues plaguing our society.

Nearly half of gamers, or 49%, have rewarded companies for their efforts in reducing global warming by purchasing their products at least once in the past year. Meanwhile, over 40% of video gamers have punished companies against efforts to reduce global warming by refusing to purchase their products at least once. So now companies need to listen too!