Press Start: Video Games and the Climate Crisis

In this episode of Climate One, hosts Ariana Brocious and Kusha Navadar explore the powerful intersection of video games and climate action. They begin by playing Overcooked 2 together, using the experience to illustrate how games can foster cooperation and fun while subtly introducing environmental themes. The conversation then turns to how video games—ranging from dystopian survival titles like Frostpunk to optimistic city-building games like Cities: Skylines—can simulate climate realities in immersive, engaging ways that avoid the despair often associated with climate reporting. Jacob Geller, a video essayist and author, discusses how games use climate crisis narratives not just for drama but as a way to make abstract threats tangible and to provoke reflection on real-world decisions. The episode highlights the work of Laura Carter, founder of Trees Please Games, whose mobile game Longleaf Valley embeds real-world tree planting into gameplay, helping plant over 3 million trees. Carter emphasizes the importance of meeting people where they are—on their phones, in casual games—rather than preaching. The segment concludes with Sam Barrett from the UN Environment Programme, who explains how the Playing for the Planet Alliance is uniting major game developers to make the industry more sustainable and to use games as tools for climate education and behavior change. Across all segments, the central theme emerges: games offer a unique medium for hope, agency, and engagement in the climate crisis.