The ecological context of video games opens up a complex map of relations. Often the first association is that of games as tools for change capable of affecting the players’ attitudes. However, as much as they have proven to be great means of persuasion, simulations of utopian futures and alternative scenarios or playful representations of climate, video games are also digital objects literally embedded in earthly matter. They are as much objects of culture as they are of nature, relying on the extraction of natural resources and human labour.
The Games & Climate Summit will explore the manifold crossovers between games, climate and ecocriticism with a particular focus on teaching green game studies, designing for environmental sustainability, and contemplating ecological imaginaries and gameworlds. The invited speakers represent diverse voices from academia and the game development community.