Exploring the Potential of Digital Games for Climate Action Education

This article examines why digital games may be particularly well-suited to fostering deeper understanding and critical reflection on climate action, while addressing their inherent limitations. It develops a theoretical argument grounded in analyses of Half-Earth Socialism, Green New Deal Simulator, and The Financial Times Climate Game, also drawing on qualitative interviews with developers and player discussions on Steam. These games invite players to experiment with climate crisis solutions, fostering learning by placing them in the role of powerful decision-makers confronting challenges such as achieving net-zero CO₂ by 2050 while maintaining full employment. Learning is shaped by three characteristics: offering curated choices, delivering immediate and vivid feedback, and manipulating time. Yet limitations such as restricted choice and ideological bias make reflection essential. Informal online spaces, including discussion forums, host debates on political visions and the realism of in-game simulations, offering blueprints for integrating digital games into climate action education.