“The most important thing you can do for climate – talk about it”
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe
DESCRIPTION
One of the easiest things that any piece of media can do is build crisis awareness by simply acknowledging the climate crisis as real, present, and directly impacting all of us.
For example: This can be as simple as using the very term “climate crisis” or “climate emergency” in your game or as complex as building a sci-fi world where the consequences of climate breakdown are on full display.
WHY IT MATTERS
We should not assume that everyone is talking about or is aware of the climate crisis. With video games, we can simultaneously reach thousands, sometimes even millions, of players. This also means endless chats where players will talk about the games we create; if we make sure that the climate crisis enters that discourse, it will also enter their thoughts. This way, the issue will be harder to ignore or deny.
DO’S & DON’TS
Avoid excessive negativity. Catastrophism helps no one; communicating the climate crisis in fatalistic ways can incentivize feelings of helplessness and resignation in people. Keep in mind that there is a difference between crisis awareness and despair. Doomism is a real threat.
Try not to minimize the problem. Talking about the climate crisis with neutrality or even hinting at its existence is not being superficial about it. If you really don’t know how to deal with the issue, you can just mention it.
This action is not primarily about raising awareness about climate; instead, assume that your player base has awareness, but since the problem is so big and so terrifying, most people (even climate activists) veil themselves in everyday denial, which is easy to do because everyone else does it and climate is an uncomfortable thing to talk about. So be uncomfortable. Show your audience that yes, even video games are talking about this now, so everyone should take it seriously.
The Good Energy playbook for screenwriters covers this a lot.