Founded by French artist and game curator Isabelle Arvers and Brazilian carnival artist and filmmaker Livia Diniz, the Green Games – pedagogical kit project is a disruptive, low-tech, and creative educational proposal to raise awareness about the environment through green games. The idea is to hack video games to encourage changes in behavior towards the environment, playing games that adopt animist and native peoples’ perspectives, games that address narratives related to current climate challenges. Games developed responsibly, with less technology and more diversity in aesthetics and game mechanics: less competition, more collaboration. Through interactive workshops and the development of eco-friendly games, we’re empowering young people to become conscious creators within the digital space.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVISM
The need for educational activism in the field of environmental games is a promising way of tackling environmental issues and transforming the games landscape. As shown by initiatives such as IGDA Climate, The Green Games Summit and Playing for the Planet, the games industry is gradually recognising its responsibility in the fight against climate change and sustainable development.
However, a profound change is also needed on the consumer side. Promoting greater awareness among gamers, encouraging them to appreciate diverse aesthetics, alternative gameplay and awareness of environmental impacts, is a key challenge. Educational activism becomes an essential tool in this journey, not only to promote and distribute existing ecological games, but also to encourage the creation of new ones. In doing so, the aim is to broaden the scope of games’ aesthetics and narratives, encouraging a mindset that values varied cosmogonies, relationships with the non-human and holistic connections.
WHAT WE DO
Beyond Green Games is a disruptive initiative that uses video games to raise environmental awareness. By organizing workshops, training courses, and exhibitions, and by co-producing games and films, Beyond Green Games aims to turn gamers into agents of change.
Raise Environmental Awareness: Create and curate video games that address environmental themes, immersing players in real-world challenges and solutions.
Educate and Empower: Offer workshops, training programs, and lab immersions to game developers, educators, and community leaders, equipping them with the tools to create impactful environmental games.
Engage Communities: Partner with local organizations and community groups to co-produce games and initiatives that address specific environmental concerns in their region.
EXPERIMENTS
Lycée St Exupéry, Marseille, France 2024 – 2025
30 Hours of walk and workshops with the Lycée Saint-Exupéry in Marseille 15e. The project includes the use of 10 Green video games, i.e. games that take the point of view of trees, forests and rivers, as well as animist and environmental points of view. The Green Games educational kit also includes various activities such as augmented walk using visual sound recordings and 3D scans, as well as macro images, in the Lycée St Exupéry Park. This walk serve as inspiration for the design of environmental films using Green video games. In 2024 and 2025, Isabelle Arvers is working alongside Alexandre Colin on a project with 14 art, cinema and NIS students.
Futuros Arte e Tecnologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 2024
The “IMERSÃO ECOJOGOS, para além dos videogames, brincando de sonhar” happened from 9 to 17 December 2024 at Futures, Art and Technology, in the garden of the Museum of the Republic and at Fabulosa Lab with around 40 children, teenagers and families along with, gamers, artists and educators.
Its methodology included an Augmented Wak, a lab for Machinima cocreations and an event we called “green games in oniricosymbiotic hackings”. A machinima artwork called SincronismoS was made and JoãoV, the first Beyond Green Games multiplier has been onboarded into the adventure.