Press Start: Video Games and the Climate Crisis
From Climate One by Climate One from The Commonwealth Club
April 10, 2026 · 1h 3m
About this episode
This episode explores how video games can engage players in climate issues and promote environmental awareness.
About half the global population spends some amount of their leisure time playing games, whether it’s a board game after dinner with friends or online role-playing experience through an alternate world. While many video and board games have long incorporated elements we can imagine in a climate-altered future — such as resource scarcity, conflict, and survival — some in the industry are working to shift players’ mindsets towards protecting nature and reducing their own climate impacts in the process. Daybreak is a cooperative board game about stopping climate change. Cities: Skylines lets players do urban planning with climate-friendly policies such as offering free public transportation or implementing congestion pricing. And the UN’s Environment Programme is backing the Playing for Planet Alliance, which awards games that spark engagement while delivering an environmental message. How can games encourage people to explore climate realities and possible futures in a way that allows greater engagement, rather than anxiety and despair? Guests: Jacob Geller, Author; Video Essayist Laura Carter, CEO and Founder, TreesPlease Games Sam Barratt, Chief of Youth, Education and Advocacy…
People in this episode
Guests: Jacob Geller, Laura Carter, Sam Barratt
Topics covered
- video games
- climate change
- environmental awareness
- urban planning
- cooperative games
Keywords
- climate crisis
- gaming
- environment
- sustainability
- resource scarcity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UN Environment Programme, Playing for Planet Alliance
Products: Daybreak, Cities: Skylines
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