How in-game marches can help the climate

Video games are increasingly becoming a vehicle for the dissemination of ideas, with an apparent potential to surpass even social and traditional media. And this time, the world’s future was at the center of protests as a part of the special virtual Riders Republic Climate March.

The game that hosted the first in-game climate protest in history is a title that some may find hard to associate with defending our planet, but there’s logic to it.

Riders Republic calls on gamers to do their bit for the environment

Riders Republic is a sports game set outdoors, with Ubisoft never hiding the fact that it wanted to create a virtual world for fans of outdoor sports that would replicate real-world environments as realistically as possible, down to the last pebble. You only have to look at the news to see that nature and our environment are not doing well — that’s why the first in-game climate change protest was held. 

Rebirth was an in-game event that may have seen similar to many others, but this time, Ubisoft has brought its players together for a different reason than to earn virtual items — to raise player and viewer climate awareness.

Over the course of the two-week Riders Republic Climate Rebirth event, players collected seeds and planted trees in an area of ​​Riders Republic that is still visible and will remain so in the future. Moreover, there was also an in-game demonstration against global warming. Through the event, the developers tried to encourage players to take real action and do something good for the environment themselves.

The potential of games to spread climate awareness 

A move like Ubisoft’s is meant to be a way to get gamers talking not just about performance and frame rates, but about what’s happening in real life and on their doorstep. The in-game demonstration for the environment was intended to lay the foundation for the players to get involved in environmental issues in real life and maybe actually go to a climate demo.

Boris Maniora from Ubisoft Annecy explained:

“Video games can also have a deep emotional impact on players. It’s possible that some of our players have never attended a similar real-life demonstration at the in-game march, but the virtual event can help them experience the same emotional pull that they would experience outside of the computer. 

We created this event to encourage players to realize the power of community. It demonstrated the potential of video games as a platform for real-world change that has as much impact as street gatherings.”