Gaming is increasingly an online pursuit as technology develops. We download or even stream games from the cloud. We play online with friends alongside millions, using enormous servers that process an incredible amount of data. The games are developed on computers, played on a variety of electronic devices, and often shipped as physical copies manufactured from plastic and other materials.

So how can we justify our casual gaming habit from an environmental perspective?

The benefits of gaming

Though there is no escaping the environmental issues with gaming, the reality is that virtually everything humans do has an environmental cost. If you chose to be out socialising in pubs, shopping centres, or fast food outlets with your friends, everything you consume would have its own environmental footprint. However, gaming has many positives that should be considered alongside the negative.

For example, the social, educational, and mental health benefits from gaming should not be ignored. Immersed in different worlds and experiences, we can learn a lot about history, the modern world, and much more. We also get to share those experiences with others, making new friends and enriching our friendships with existing ones.

The joy we get from gaming, whether it is mobile gaming, playing on a console or anything else, can be extremely powerful and maintain a healthy mind.

Can games actually help the environment?

Gaming has highlighted many of the environmental issues the world faces. One example would be the hit game Maneater, which uses its premise as a mutant shark RPG to depict the damage human activity is doing to ocean environments (and many of the consequences that come with it).

Virtue Gaming is entirely focused on creating mobile gaming experiences that are fun and creative but also based on educating players about global issues to do with the environment. In fact, we even take that mission further by donating a significant percentage of profits made from our game <a href="https://www.virtuegaming.co.uk/what-is-eco-aire/what-is-eco-aire.html">Eco-Aire</a> to fund environmental causes around the world.

Conclusion

The gaming industry is attuned to the environmental impact of its activities and constantly working to minimise its carbon output and/or offset emissions. Many of us in the industry want to use the power of the medium to spread a positive message, and the other human benefits of gaming are clear for all to see.

As a gamer, try to be conscious of environmental concerns and please support developers and initiatives aimed at helping the environment.

Image by ExplorerBob via Pixabay