Harnessing the Power of Gaming to Influence Policies Addressing Climate Change

At the 18th European Conference on Games Based Learning (ECGBL) in Denmark, the University of Bolton presented new exploratory case study research from the GREAT (Game Realising Effective and Affective Transformation) project. The GREAT project is co-funded by the European Union Horizon programme and the United Kingdom Research and Innovation body. We shared some early insights on how the reach of gaming platforms can help understand climate attitudes and preferences among gaming communities

In collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Hi-Rez Studio we explored the use of in-game QR codes to survey a well-established gaming community. Our goal? To explore gamers' priorities regarding their country's Paris Climate Agreement commitments.

From what we've seen so far, getting gamers to engage with climate-related surveys through an in-game QR code method, may be an effective approach compared to traditional, clickable adds. This case study has been the first step in understanding the technology and partnerships needed to connect directly with gaming communities through this method. It is great to see gamers giving their time to urgent climate conversation.