Downloading data from the internet uses electricity, so as game developers, we would do well to minimize the amount of data players have to download.

DESCRIPTION
A heavy responsibility lies on delivery service providers such as Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox, who wield the power to optimize their systems, but there are still ways for developers to both reduce their own footprint and put pressure on industry giants.

WHY IT MATTERS
Reducing internet traffic leads to diminished hardware requirements, consequently reducing the carbon footprint. With decreased commuting, there’s also less demand for infrastructure and related technologies, resulting in lowered energy consumption and emissions. This ripple effect from decreased traffic contributes to a smaller environmental impact by minimizing the manufacturing and operational needs of hardware.

DO’S & DON’TS

The internet does get more efficient each year, and so the environmental cost of each downloaded byte tends to roughly halve every two years. Unfortunately, we also keep making bigger and bigger files to download.

We are learning how to make smaller games, smarter patches, and splitting games up, realizing that not every player needs every part of the game. Some need only the single-player campaign, others only the multiplayer. Those 4K art assets are wasted on users who don’t have the screen for them (or who just don’t care). Finally, we can control our releases, so downloads happen primarily when electricity is at its cleanest (and cheapest).

Ways to support this goal include:
Lightweight Patches
Optional HD Assets
Cleaning Up Your Data Storage Policy
Graphical Sufficiency