Italian events explore video games and climate change
In early November 2022, two Italian events examined how video games engage with climate change. IVIPRO DAYS, a conference series by the Italian Videogame Program association, featured game directors from Venice 2089 (Safe Place Studios) and Gibbon: Beyond the Trees (Broken Rules) discussing climate themes. RomeVideoGameLab, organized by Cinecittà, focused on applied games with educational objectives. The article highlights games like Our Rights, Our Planet (Indici Opponibili and Cooperativa Articolo12 for UN Environment Programme), SimEarth (Maxis, 1990), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo), Stereophyta (Kasrah Ghobadi), and Lichenia (Molleindustria). The author's talk at RomeVideoGameLab argued for local, sustainable game production, citing a Washington Post article on the trade-off between realistic graphics and environmental sustainability. The piece advocates for "kilometer-zero" video games, emphasizing education in game creation and climate systems.
Key facts
- IVIPRO DAYS and RomeVideoGameLab took place in early November 2022 in Italy.
- IVIPRO DAYS is organized by Italian Videogame Program association.
- RomeVideoGameLab is organized by Cinecittà.
- Venice 2089 by Safe Place Studios is set in a future Venice threatened by sea-level rise.
- Gibbon: Beyond the Trees by Broken Rules addresses effects of cultivation, urbanization, and hunting on gibbons in Southeast Asia.
- Our Rights, Our Planet was created by Indici Opponibili with Cooperativa Articolo12 for the UN Environment Programme.
- SimEarth was developed by Maxis in 1990.
- The Washington Post article from late October 2022 stated: 'Video games must choose between realistic graphics and environmental sustainability.'
Entities
Artists
- Kasrah Ghobadi
Institutions
- Italian Videogame Program
- Cinecittà
- Safe Place Studios
- Broken Rules
- Indici Opponibili
- Cooperativa Articolo12
- United Nations Environment Programme
- Maxis
- Nintendo
- Molleindustria
- The Washington Post
- Artribune
Locations
- Italy
- Venice
- Southeast Asia