1st Edition
The Game Needs to Change Towards Sustainable Game Design
This book shows how games can play their part in addressing climate change and how we can sustainably make games for sustainability. Based on both industry practice and research, the chapters within this book give voice to those who are working on sustainability in and through gaming. From the ways we make games to the ways we design them to resonate with players, these perspectives offer pragmatic recommendations and concrete starting points for working toward sustainability, showing you how to get started, no matter your role.
Divided into four sections, the first section covers systemic approaches to this work, covering how change can occur at all levels of scale. Section 2 explores how stories are told toward sustainable futures across organized communities, emerging markets, journalism, and more. Section 3 critically examines ways of integrating sustainability messaging into games, with practical reflections from developers and researchers on the challenges and strategies unique to this context. Finally, Section 4 highlights individuals who bring theory into action, with personal stories demonstrating what it means to be a game developer dedicated to sustainability.
This book will appeal to game makers who want to address sustainability through the content and message of their creative work, as well as to members of the wider game industry working toward more sustainable practices—including representatives of industry organizations, publishers, platforms, and policymakers. It will also be of interest to game design and development researchers, academics, and students eager to learn more about integrating sustainability into both processes and outcomes.
Chapter 1 It’s Dangerous to Go Alone! Take this Book! - Patrick Prax, Clayton Whittle, and Trevin York
Chapter 2 Introduction Part 1 - Toward Systemic Sustainability and Games - Patrick Prax
Chapter 3 Introduction Part 2 - Designing with Theories Of Change - Clayton Whittle and Trevin York
SECTION 1: Systemic Approaches
Chapter 4 Section 1: Systemic Approaches - Patrick Prax
Chapter 5 Systemic and Collective Change in Practice—Examples and Inspiration - Patrick Prax
Chapter 6 Opportunities for Impact Games in Social Movements and Campaigns - Aric McBay and Dr. eileen mary holowka
Chapter 7 Together We Stand, Divided We Fall: How Can Game Developers Navigate the Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability Challenges of the Game Industry? - Thorsten Busch, Florence Chee, and Tanja Sihvonen
Chapter 8 Making Every Game Green - Arnaud Fayolle
SECTION 2: Telling Stories from a Sustainable Future
Chapter 9 Section 2: Production, Processes, and Material Conditions - Clayton Whittle
Chapter 10 How Can Sustainable Game Makers Get Journalists to Pay Attention? - David Lumb
Chapter 11 Building a Green Game Movement: An Overview of Pro-Environmental Efforts in the Game Industry and Beyond - Valley Lopez
Chapter 12 Exploring Sustainable Gamemaking through an Artgame Residency - Cindy Poremba, Kara Stone, Ian Garrett, and Ben Abraham
Chapter 13 Changing the Question: What Is an Ecological Game? On the Three Definitions of Sustainable Game Design - David Harold ten Cate
Chapter 14 Sustainable Game Design in China: Pioneering Practices and Future Directions - Vincenzo De Masi, Qinke Di, Siyi Li, and Yuhan Song
SECTION 3: Integrating Environmental Messages into Game Design / Mechanics
Chapter 15 Section 3: Design for Environmental Messaging - Trevin York
Chapter 16 Sustainable Game Design beyond the ‘Nature-as-Franchise’ Paradigm - Stefan Werning
Chapter 17 From Exploitation to Restoration: Rethinking Management Games - Danielle Unéus
Chapter 18 Terra Nil: Reclaiming the Wasteland through Affective Play - Dr Anja Venter, Sam Alfred, and Jonathan Hau-Yoon
Chapter 19 Empowering Communities to Define Climate Goals - Clayton Whittle
Chapter 20 Critical Game Design Paradigms as Tools for Environmental Action - Hanna Wirman
SECTION 4: From Theory to Action
Chapter 21 Section 4: From Theory to Action - Patrick Prax
Chapter 22 Rendering Resistance: Making Defiant Games - Ossian Nordgren and Kristofer Vaske
Chapter 23 Reflections from a Game Dev Activist - Jennifer Estaris
Chapter 24 Take Care of Each Other: Cultural and Personal Frameworks for Surviving the Games Industry - Hexe Fey
Chapter 25 Conclusion - Patrick Prax, Clayton Whittle, and Trevin York
Biography
Patrick Prax holds a PhD in Media Studies and is Professor in Game Design at Uppsala University. In addition to scientific publications, he has presented at GDC, delivered keynotes at game industry conferences, and spoken at the Swedish Democracy Festival. His work focuses on critical game literacy, sustainability, and anti-fascism.
Clayton Whittle is a sustainability educator, serious games designer, and climate psychologist. He received his PhD in Education from Penn State. He was the lead author of the Environmental Game Design Playbook and has worked with the Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, UN Environmental Programme, and IGDA.
Trevin York has been leading game development teams for over 15 years, making games that bring together engaging entertainment and real-world impacts. His recent work explores how games and play can serve as effective interdisciplinary interventions in complex contexts—like, for example, the climate crisis.
