Several video game companies have pledged at the United Nations (UN) Climate Summit to increase their efforts to address climate change and get their users involved.
Among the climate change pledges the video game companies made at the UN General Assembly were planting trees, reducing plastic packaging, making game devices more energy efficient and incorporating environmental themes into games.
Sony Interactive Entertainment chief executive officer (CEO) Jim Ryan said "I believe games and gamers can be a force for social change and would love to see our global community unite to help our planet to survive and thrive." He said that Sony is planning to integrate the next-generation PlayStation system with a low-power, suspend-play mode, which he claims could save enough electricity to power 1,000 average U.S. homes if 1 million players use it.
The UN Environment Program facilitated the gaming green commitments made by the 21 companies, which were featured at the UN Climate Summit. David Paul, the Marshall Islands' environment minister, called video games "the most powerful mobilization channel in the world," with over 2 billion video game players worldwide. The Marshall Islands is currently threatened by the rising seas due to global warming.
Microsoft plans to manufacture 825,000 Xbox consoles that are carbon-neutral and promote real-life sustainability activities through its game Minecraft while WildWorks plans to include new materials about habitat restoration and reforestation into its Animal Jam game while also planting a tree for every new Animal Jam player.
Rovio Entertainment, the creator of Angry Birds, is offsetting carbon emissions generated by players who charge electronic devices while Google's Stadia streaming service is financing research on how people can be inspired to change their behavior through games. Hoffman-John, Stadia's lead designer for research and development, said "They're participatory. They require the player to take action. It's not just absorbing a message from the outside."
