Play2Act
Gaming for Climate and Nature
Climate action requires collective effort. In September 2024, PlanetPlay—a not-for-profit platform that promotes environmental action through gaming—launched Play2Act, a polling initiative developed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The survey - in partnership with 20 game studios and platforms and embedded in popular games such as Subway Surfers, Beatstar, Pokémon GO!, and Avakin Life, among others - examined the role of gaming in addressing climate and nature crises. Using in-game polls, Play2Act also explored how players feel and respond to climate and environmental challenges after engaging with green-themed content.
Play2Act, collected players' perceptions on how video games can contribute to addressing climate change and environmental issues, both from a general perspective and on a more personal level. The survey asked about gamers’ experiences with green-content games, and their impact on behaviour and sentiment toward climate and environmental action.
Play2Act results
Data drawn from Play2Act showed evidence that gaming has the potential to incentivize greener habits among gamers. 79 percent of those respondents who had played games with green messages or environmental content reported making at least one positive behavioural change after playing these games. Among these players, 47 percent reported reducing their environmental impact through energy use or public transport, while 34 percent report making greener consumption choices
The Play2Act survey demonstrates that games can play a role in addressing the climate change and nature crisis. Games are not only entertainment, but also platforms for gathering insights and engaging with individuals on a global scale to raise awareness and education on climate and nature.
Play2Act and the GREAT project
The Play2Act survey is part of the ‘Games Realising Effective and Affective Transformation (GREAT)’ project, funded by the European Union Horizon and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). This project aims to engage the gaming community—gamers and studios—in addressing the climate and nature crises by exploring how games can drive social engagement and spark new dialogues for positive change.
Additional resources from the GREAT project