Video games are more than entertainment — they may be the next frontier in biodiversity conservation according to a researcher at the Environmental Change Institute.
As more than two-thirds of the world’s population go online, digital platforms are becoming central to how we experience the world — including the natural one. According to the International Telecommunication Union, 5.4 billion people used the internet in 2023. With urbanisation on the rise — an estimated 70% of the global population is expected to live in cities by 2050 — digital technologies will increasingly shape human interactions with wildlife and ecosystems.
Dr Diogo Veríssimo, Research Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), has been working alongside DPhil students Katie Blake and Katherine Tubb at the Biology Department at the University of Oxford, who he supervises, and building on the work of Sandbrook et al. in 2015, whose framework explored how digital games intersect with learning, empathy, and ethics in the context of wildlife engagement.
Writing in Conservation & Society the researchers argue that while Sandbrook’s contribution is recognised as timely and essential, the new study reveals that much of the existing evidence on gaming’s real-world environmental impact remains underexamined. Dr Veríssimo said:
In order to fully grasp the impact or potential of games in conservation efforts, we need to look at actual outcomes and evidence from real-world applications of games in conservation, rather than just talking about how they could work in theory. We need to go beyond conceptual frameworks and map the empirical terrain.”
Beyond Play: Types of Games and Their Impact
There are over three billion video gaming players worldwide — 81.9% of internet users aged 16 to 64. Understanding the role of games in conservation begins with a clear distinction between gamification, serious games, and entertainment games.
- Gamification involves incorporating game-like elements (points, badges, leaderboards) into non-game contexts to boost engagement — such as Alipay’s Ant Forest.
- Serious games, like Fate of the World, are designed with educational intent, offering immersive experiences to deepen knowledge and influence behaviour.
- Entertainment games — think Animal Crossing: New Horizons — are not designed with conservation in mind but can nevertheless inspire ecological awareness and emotional connection to nature.
While gamification and serious games have shown strong results in boosting environmental knowledge, entertainment games are particularly effective at reaching mass audiences and fostering emotional bonds with digital representations of nature.
Learning, Empathy, and Connection to Nature
Games are increasingly shown to improve users’ understanding of ecological issues. Augmented and virtual reality tools further enhance the immersive quality of serious games, boosting their educational value.
Entertainment games are also proving surprisingly effective. Studies show that players of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Animal Crossing are more accurate in identifying real-world species featured in those games. Even in the absence of explicit educational content, these virtual experiences can shape real-world attitudes and understanding.
But knowledge alone doesn't drive action. Empathy and emotional connection — crucial for behavioural change — are fostered more subtly, and here again games offer potential. Research shows that players sometimes seek virtual nature to fulfil emotional or psychological needs tied to nature connection. In turn, this raises questions about whether digital nature experiences can lead to real-world conservation interest or displace it.
Conservation, Politics, and Power
Ecological issues are inherently political. Games can serve as platforms for exploring environmental conflicts, stakeholder dynamics, and Indigenous perspectives.
For instance, Fate of the World and KEEP COOL allow players to simulate complex climate scenarios. Meanwhile, Minecraft Education has been used to honour Anishinaabe culture and land ethics. At the same time, critiques of mainstream games such as Animal Crossing highlight how some narratives may perpetuate colonialist or extractive views of nature.
Game design is never neutral — and how biodiversity is portrayed (or commodified) in these worlds, matters. Projects like LaPensée’s Thunderbird Strike show how games can also be used as tools of resistance and cultural storytelling.
Ethics, Commodification, and Carbon
Digital conservation tools come with their own carbon footprint, but these may be significantly lower than traditional alternatives like tourism. For instance, one transatlantic flight emits more CO2 than a year’s worth of smartphone use.
Gamification platforms like Ant Forest show how digital actions can translate to real-world environmental gains, with over 500 million users contributing to tree planting and other eco-friendly behaviours. Meanwhile, the gaming industry is beginning to acknowledge its own environmental impact. The Playing for the Planet alliance, backed by the UN, encourages game companies to decarbonise and integrate sustainability into their operations.
Still, concerns remain — from the sourcing of materials for hardware to the commodification of wildlife. Yet, initiatives like Terra Nil’s tree-planting campaign and Coral Island’s profit donations to reef restoration show how games can drive direct conservation funding and awareness.
Next Level: A Call for Deeper Research
The conservation potential of digital games is real, but largely untapped. While gamification and serious games have been studied more extensively, there’s a critical gap in our understanding of mainstream entertainment games and their effects on biodiversity engagement.
The authors call for a comprehensive and systematic review of existing research, particularly around commercial games. They argue that only with a full picture can conservationists, game designers, and policymakers work together to harness the immersive power of games — and ensure they contribute meaningfully to protecting our planet.
Read the full article in Conservation & Society. Games for Gaia: Leveraging Gaming Interventions for Biodiversity Conservation
