Playing for the planet: how games are reshaping climate policy engagement
Achieving environmental sustainability will require policies that motivate citizens to action by representing their preferences and needs. Traditional consultation methods rarely reach beyond small, self-selecting groups. The EU-funded GREAT(opens in new window) project took a radically different approach. It co-designed digital games to collect data on citizens’ climate policy preferences and shared insights directly with policymakers. The outcomes exceeded expectations, reaching millions of players across almost every country in the world.
Leveraging existing mobile games dramatically increases reach
In five case studies, short mobile surveys were embedded in popular games such as Subway Surfers and Pokemon Go. Of note, following an exploratory case study with the United Nations Development Programme, the subsequent full-scale Play2Act case study using Subway Surfers reached one million people across 188 countries – every nation except North Korea and Eritrea. “This unexpected breakthrough came from working directly with game studios to programme surveys within their games rather than using playable ads as originally planned. It dramatically improved both reach and data quality,” explains project lead and manager Jane Yau at DIPF Leibniz Institute of Research and Information in Education(opens in new window). Approximately 180 000 completed surveys on citizens’ climate attitudes were collected in one-minute interactions, with comparable participation by males and females.
Co-designed climate dilemma games facilitate dialogue
Longer games involving role play were co-designed by citizens and policymakers. Five case studies involved climate dilemma games played in classroom settings for between 45 minutes and two hours. Summaries of case studies and their outcomes can be found in the project’s plethora of publications in its results page. A facilitator presented questions on screen while participants responded on their own devices. GREAT developed data analytics methods to reveal connections between players’ in-game behaviour and their attitudes towards real-world experiences. The green jobs case study explored how policymakers could attract more young people into green jobs and careers. It highlighted the importance of incentives and role models in drawing students to these jobs, as well as young people’s desire for work-life balance and careers aligned with their personal interests. “Teachers and students alike responded positively to linking climate policy with career education, demonstrating the effectiveness of playful, game-based participation for youth engagement,” notes Yau. GREAT’s open education resource in English and German will enable teachers to run these serious games independently. The green roofs case study gathered around 100 participants including citizens, architects, urban planners, design students and property owners. It explored perspectives on climate adaptation through implementation of green roofs. Enthusiasm was consistently high across all groups, underpinned by improved air quality and energy savings. Participants identified responsibility as the greatest policy concern, along with liability, long-term risk, financial constraints, safety and maintenance.
Games as a tool for climate action
“GREAT demonstrated that digital games can reach broad, diverse audiences and facilitate meaningful communication on climate issues. Serious games can also promote climate awareness and behaviour change, although the effectiveness can depend on region, income, gender and game format,” says Yau. However, while digital games can improve communication, achieving real policy impact requires stronger and more sustained engagement with policymakers, and careful measurement is essential to ensure data reflects genuine understanding and commitment rather than surface-level interaction. GREAT has established a compelling, scalable model for citizen engagement and climate action through serious games. Supported by its policy briefs(opens in new window) and toolkit(opens in new window) of games and learning materials, GREAT’s approach could fundamentally reshape how global societal challenges can be addressed.
