Gamification works  – but will you help your staff save the planet?

Linnea Dunne

Sustainability policies and promises are part and parcel of most businesses worth their salt these days – but as we watch wildfires, aggressive storms and earthquakes rip through communities across the world, how many are willing to put their money where their mouth is and go the extra mile?

As e-learning enthusiasts, we were excited to read recent reports about the potential of games and gamification to boost the understanding of the climate crisis and the importance of a huge collaborative effort in trying to solve it. We know that e-learning works, and we know that it can be a lot of fun (the clue is in our name) – but to see our field of expertise be applied to the mainstream conversation on climate justice was particularly fascinating.

What’s the gist of it?

Game theory has been applied to social science and political theory for pretty much as long as they’ve been academic subjects. That leaders across the globe, including in the White House, use games to help them make decisions on everything from warfare to climate policies is a lesser known fact.  

But it makes sense, according to experts. Games have a powerful way of helping us make sense of complex issues and information. What’s more, certain types of games contribute to not just increased understanding, but empathy as well.  

Interestingly, simulation games may well be able to help us make predictions about the future. An experimental game during the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, aiming to examine the impact of climate change on global security, proposed that global warming and increased migration flows would lead to popular discontent and a boost for authoritarianism – and just look at us now. 

What’s this got to do with us (and you)?

There’s been an uptick in the number of serious games about climate change hitting the market in recent years. Players are tasked with everything from developing biodiverse bird habitats to building cities adapted to a warming climate. And both board game fans and researchers agree: these games boost the players’ sense of responsibility for climate justice. 

At the same time, we’ve been asked to develop quite a few sustainability productions over the past few years. Our clients know that sustainability is key both for the survival of their business and for the well-being and happiness of their staff and customers – and they know that they need their employees on board if they are to succeed with their sustainability efforts. 

Board games and e-learning productions are not the same, of course, but this is where gamification can prove invaluable. And fun – let’s not forget about our characteristic propensity for fun! Sustainability forums, podcasts, old-school games – you name it, we’ll consider it as part of a wider sustainability training effort.  

We love few things more than we love a challenge, and given the chance to think outside the box in order to help leaders boost their employees’ sense of responsibility for climate justice, we will jump on it with buckets of creativity and enthusiasm.  

The question is: will you let us? Are you ready to play your part and invest in the huge collaborative effort that’s required if we’re going to turn this ship around? Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is to make sustainability integral to your organisation’s DNA?

Let's talk!