As AI adoption accelerates across the games industry, Playing for the Planet, in collaboration with GRID-Arendal, today launched AI, Games, and the Environment: A Responsible User’s Guide. This new set of principles and practical recommendations will help video games companies engage with AI more responsibly whilst keeping the planet in the picture and people at the centre of decisions.
This guidance was commissioned in response to requests from Playing for the Planet members for relevant, actionable guidance. It aims to help studios make more informed decisions about AI technologies and the systems that support them, while keeping environmental considerations in view.
Developed alongside GRID-Arendal, a non-profit environmental organisation and UNEP partner who combine scientific expertise, creative communication and hands-on project experience, the guidance draws on workshops and feedback from Playing for the Planet members, games industry contributors and environmental experts. It offers practical recommendations to help companies integrate environmental considerations into their AI policies, processes and decision-making. This guidance marks the beginning of an ongoing effort by Playing for the Planet to foster collaboration and share learnings as understanding of AI’s environmental impact continues to evolve.
“While AI’s global environmental impact remains relatively small, its future trajectory is uncertain” said Matt Anderson, Decarbonisation Lead, Playing for the Planet. “As adoption grows and supporting infrastructure expands, understanding and monitoring its potential impact will become increasingly important. We’re at an important stage where the decisions companies make today can help shape what comes next and this guidance gives the industry a constructive starting point to ask the right questions, make informed choices and learn together as the technology evolves”.
Take a look at AI, Games, and the Environment: A Responsible User’s Guide here: https://playing4theplanet.org/sustainable-ai-guide
Want to join the conversation and make a difference? Contact us at info@playing4theplanet.org
ABOUT PLAYING FOR THE PLANET
Playing for the Planet is a membership-based alliance activating players globally to protect and restore our planet whilst accelerating decarbonisation across the video games industry. Founded in 2019 at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, the initiative is facilitated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and has more than 50 video games organisations members from around the world.
The initiative is designed to help those active in the games industry to start their sustainability journey and to level up those already on it. Playing for the Planet produces year-on-year reports on member progress and provides resources, research and guidance in areas such as decarbonisation, target setting and storytelling within games to inspire environmental action.
Playing for the Planet organises the popular and commercially successful Green Game Jam, an annual challenge that invites video game studios with live games and existing audiences to create themed in-game content that engages players on a key environmental topic.
ABOUT GRID_ARUNDEL
GRID-Arendal is a non-profit environmental organisation established in 1989 under a mandate from UNEP and the Norwegian government. Working at the intersection of science, policy, and communication, GRID-Arendal transforms scientific knowledge into compelling stories and practical solutions to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
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