Blog

Celebrating five years of Playing for the Planet

Looking back on milestones, challenges, and lessons for the future as the Alliance reaches its fifth anniversary since launching at the 2019 UN General Assembly in New York.

Apply now for the inaugural Playing for the Planet Awards

As an extension of the annual awards to recognize participants of the Green Game Jam, Playing for the Planet will this year widen its focus to include the whole games industry between 2023 and 2024.

Tencent Games is this year's gamescom sustainability award winner

President of Tencent Americas Brent Irvin accepted the award from Playing for the Planet at gamescom Opening Night Live on Tuesday

Awards categories and criteria announced for Green Game Jam

Now in its 5th year, the GGJ celebrates the work of its developers through a final awards ceremony, with eight awards up for grabs.

Carbon Calculator: Now Available for Members in Beta

The new carbon accounting tool built with, and for, studios, publishers, and other games industry organisations goes live for Alliance members ahead of a public rollout in early 2025.

Studios in Green Game Jam come together to learn-by-doing for Earth Week

From 16th April through to the 1st May, Green Game Jam participants all over the world hosted events for their employee to think more about how players can narrow consider the choices they make in their day to day lives.

Humble and Playing for the Planet release bundle for World Environment Day

We’re excited to announce this latest partnership with Alliance member Humble Bundle - offering seven beautifully crafted, heartfelt games at a steal of a discount, with proceeds going to the Global Foodbanking Network (GFN), chosen by Humble.

How you can join #GenerationRestoration for World Environment Day

Our summary of UNEP's a practical guide to this year's World Environment Day theme - land restoration. Covering what individuals, households/offices and businesses in the games industry can do to help fight the process of land degradation, desertification and drought.

Green Game Jam teaches studios to connect games to real-world action

To help studios connect the real world with the digital, we brought in some experts in environmentalist game design. Over the course of three workshops, they taught our participants the theory and psychology behind designing activations that will empower players towards pro-environmental action.

Annual Impact Report reviews work of the Alliance and its members for 2023

Playing for the Planet’s Annual Impact report provides a year-on-year accountability opportunity for the work of the Alliance and its membership. Each section provides an update on the Alliance’s key focus areas and how well the objectives set for 2023 the year prior have been met.

Playing for the Planet and The Carbon Trust to develop carbon calculator

The Carbon Trust's Matt Anderson shares more details about the development of Playing for the Planet's upcoming Scope 3 carbon calculation tool. Based on last year's 'Untangling the carbon complexities of the video gaming industry,' the calculator is set to release later this Spring.

Africa’s first Green Games Summit wraps up with a call for action on nature

"With more than 3 billion people playing video games worldwide, there is huge potential to reach outside our traditional networks to mobilise video gaming and digital communities for the planet” said Susan Gardner, Director of Ecosystems Division at UNEP, opening day two of the Green Games Summit.

Green Games Summit: Five take-aways from the conference on Day One

Many people desperately wanted to come to the first Green Game Summit in Nairobi,Kenya but couldn’t make it. For those that missed out, here's a recap of the first day at the Africa Game Centre in Nairobi, with some of the leading pioneers showcasing best-in class thinking on this agenda.

10 ways your studio can play for the planet, from longstanding Alliance member Nic Walker

‍Nic Walker is the former COO of Playing for the Planet member Space Ape, and has been involved with the Alliance since its origins in 2019. Here, he shares his experience for studios beginning their sustainability journey, and explores how the games industry can continue to step up as a leading force for good.

Africa’s first-ever Green Games Summit set for Nairobi in February 2024

Leaders from the games industry, the UN and world governments will meet in Nairobi for the inaugural Green Games Summit, taking place just before the 6th session of the UN Environment Assembly at UNEP headquarters and aiming to harness the power of gaming for an environmental agenda.

78 games join Playing for the Planet’s Green Game Jam in biggest year ever

78 games join Playing for the Planet’s Green Game Jam in its most ambitious year, with titles such as Subway Surfers and Farmville participating in the annual challenge. The goal this year is to use video games to encourage 1 million players to take one action in real life for the environment.

Green Game Jam 2024 theme announcement: Small Actions, Big Impact

Do you have a live game on mobile, PC, console, or VR that has an existing audience of players? Join the 5th edition of the #GreenGameJam where we ask studios and players to learn by doing and rally 1 million players to participate in actions that benefit the planet. Sign up by 15th January 2024.

What to expect from Playing for the Planet in 2024 - a milestone year

2024 marks an important milestone for Playing for the Planet, as the Alliance celebrates five years since first launching at the 2019 Climate Summit in New York City’s UN Headquarters. Here’s just a small overview of what you can expect from Playing for the Planet in the upcoming year, and beyond. 

Untangling the carbon complexities of the video gaming industry

For the past 12 months, members of the Playing for the Planet have been working with the Carbon Trust to bring clarity on where are the biggest sources of emissions in games, who is liable for them new areas to address in the years ahead.

Green Studio of the Year announced as part of Gamescom Goes Green initative

This year's gamescom Green Studio of the year award was one of our toughest calls yet. We have been looking for bold, system-changing, innovative, and creative ways to tackle the climate crisis. In the end two studios went toe-to-toe but in the end the final 2023 winner clinched it by a finger-nail.

Supercell, Wooga, and Outfit 7 win at the the 2023 Green Game Awards in London

Seven studios were crowned winners of the 2023 Green Game Jam including Trailmix’s Love & Pies, Supercell’s Boom Beach, and Wooga’s June’s Journey at the ceremony in London. The Jam has already reached more than 85 million gamers and $600,000 has so far been raised to support this year’s wildlife theme.

Behind the scenes of the activations protecting wildlife for the Green Game Jam 2023

How the world’s biggest studios have found space in the best games for wildlife. Three ecosystems home to three iconic species living were chosen as this year’s cause: the Western Indian Ocean (Manta Ray), the Himalayas (Snow Leopard) and the Amazon (Harlequin Toad).

“Plastic is everywhere”: Gaming industry joins the battle against single-use plastics

Whether it’s consoles or the plastic boxes that some of our most beloved games arrive in, there’s no getting away from it: the video games industry has a plastics problem. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel: the industry is waking up to the issue and is working with increasing determination to create a solution.

Video games industry seeks to raise and reach millions to save three endangered species

Forty major video games, including the likes of Clash Royale, Angry Birds and Pac-Man have teamed up to educate and inspire their gamers to raise funds to support the Harlequin Toad, Snow Leopard and Manta Ray through play. These activations are set to go live from June 1 in support of World Environment Day.

Key Takeaways from GDC 2023, from Playing for the Planet's Sam Barratt

The Playing for the Planet team headed out to San Francisco to meet its members and hit the floor at the Game Developers Conference 2023 - here's five key takeaways from the show by Sam Barratt, Director of Education and Youth Advocacy at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Playing for the Planet Alliance launches the 2022 Annual Impact Report: a breakthrough year

Playing for the Planet Annual Impact Report 2022: Whilst there's still a way to go, this was a breakthrough year for game studios' sustainability efforts, with strong progress on decarbonisation. It serves as a inspiration to the wider industry and provides opportunity to celebrate work already done.

Alliance's largest ever study shows playing video games can lead to climate action

Playing for the Planet’s largest-ever survey has found video games can spur positive actions and attitudes toward the environment in real life. The survey, designed to unearth attitudes towards environmental issues and environmental content within games, reached 380,000 players across ten games.

Playing for the Planet Alliance releases 2021 Annual Impact Report

60% of the members have committed to either be net zero or carbon negative by 2023 and over 1 million trees have been planted. In addition, the Green Game Jam raised $800,000 for environmental causes and reached some 130 million players on ocean and forest issues.

Record year for the Green Game Jam as 42 games enter with a reach of 275 million

Playing for the Planet Alliance welcomes ten new members as 2021 Green Game Jam trailer premiered

New milestones were celebrated as 10 new members joined the Playing for the Planet Alliance and a new film celebrating the outcomes of the 2021 Green Game Jam was premiered at the UKIE and ISFE hosted “Green Games Summit”.

Green Game Jam 2021 to empower millions of gamers to conserve and restore forests and oceans

The Playing for the Planet Alliance today launched the second-annual Green Game Jam, bringing together over 25 studios across PC, mobile and console to educate and empower millions of players to act for nature.

Second Green Game Jam empowers millions to play for the planet

In March 2021 studios convened for a series of educational workshops to learn more about the importance of conserving and restoring forests and oceans, the theme of this year’s Jam. Workshops were conducted by experts from the UN Environment Programme, as well as leading minds such as Peter Wohlleben, Dr. Elizabeth Bagley and Kristian Teleki.

Inaugural Green Mobile Game Jam mobilizes players for the planet

Eleven Playing for the Planet Alliance members gathered in London to find ways to leverage the power of the medium for greater impact.