Transforming Eco-Anxiety into Empowerment: The Revolutionary Role of Games

Volha Kapitonava, managing director of Positive Impact Games, discusses how video games can transform attitudes towards climate change. In recent years, the industry has seen a surge in games focused on climate and biodiversity, such as Terra Nil, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, and The Regreening. This shift is driven by factors like European funding for eco-topics, studio founders' value alignment, and players' growing appetite for stories that prioritize nature. The timing of these games is crucial, as eco-anxiety has become a mainstream emotional reality, with 45% of young people saying climate change affects their daily lives and over half believing humanity is doomed if nothing changes. Traditional climate communication often exacerbates the problem by focusing on catastrophe, leading to feelings of powerlessness and paralysis. However, games can help by providing experiences where actions have visible consequences and improvement is possible. By engaging players in meaningful decisions and cause-and-effect loops, games can empower the belief that individuals can make a difference. A recent scientific report found that players of environmental games report higher self-efficacy and a greater likelihood of engaging in real-world pro-environmental behaviors. The key to this empowerment is joy, particularly the structured and rewarding joy found in games that offer players a psychological break and a safe space to confront climate dread. Wholesome games, often misunderstood as merely gentle or cute, are actually designed to promote hope, cooperation, empathy, and regeneration. These games can convert anxiety into agency, providing emotional relief, safe experimentation, and a sense of collective responsibility. While games cannot solve the climate crisis, they can shape perception, emotion, and motivation, normalizing hope and regeneration as cultural narratives. Examples of games driving player eco-action, such as funding tree-planting and protecting wildlife habitats, demonstrate the potential for games to engage people in real-life eco projects. However, games also have limitations, and their impact is indirect, relying on opportunities, guidance, and structures to translate motivation into real-world action. The goal of Positive Impact Games is to create wholesome and cosy games that uplift, connect, and inspire change, as seen in their upcoming project, The Regreening, where players grow plants, create living ecosystems, and make a positive impact.