I remember attending my first games industry event, E3 2016, like it was yesterday. The labryinthine floors of the LA Convention Centre thrummed with activity, as tens of thousands spilled out across its immense complex of exhibit halls and connecting corridors. The noise was cacophonous; a symphony of excitable chatter, pulsating music, and digital sound effects to background the venue’s intoxicating atmosphere. While E3 may no longer be with us, other industry events like it, from gamescom to Game Developers Conference, continue in addition to the thousands of smaller events that pockmark the industry calendar year on year.
But events leave behind a footprint. Whether it’s the thousands of air miles aggregated by those who fly in to attend, or the associated energy spikes of a high-end gaming demo station, the environmental impact of events can be huge, with recent research estimating the entire sector is responsible for around 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
This sounds like a daunting problem at first, but it equally represents a pivotal opportunity for games organisations to model leadership in tackling that problem head on, harnessing their events for more sustainable outcomes through ambitious, yet entirely actionable steps. For event organisers, it can be hard to know where to start on this journey, but Playing for the Planet’s Sustainable Games Event Guide is now available to support anyone in taking those first critical steps.
Built off the thinking established by both the Green Games Guide, which Playing for the Planet developed in partnership with Ukie and Games London in 2020, and the UN Greening the Blue Framework, this new resource is designed to support the games industry to harness their events for more sustainable outcomes through ambitious, yet entirely actionable steps.
Developed in collaboration with members and friends of the Alliance, the guide brings together best practice from events and sustainability experts across the games industry, and consolidates it all into a single, easy-to-use handbook. Informed by the internal policies and practices of industry leaders such as Ubisoft and Amazon Games, the resulting compendium of guidance gives practicable insight on a whole range of relevant topics, including:
The resource tackles different aspects of events management by chapter, and is laid out as an accessible, easily digestible handbook, with the option to dip in and out selectively depending on what type of support you’re looking for. Already booked your venue, but want to know how to work with others partners in the supply chain on sustainable measures? Head straight to the guide’s Chapter on Procurement to get started right away.
We also wanted to make sure that the guide felt relevant and relatable specifically to those working in games events, and so each chapter is illustrated with recent examples of industry-specific case studies that showcase what can be achieved through sustainable initiatives at events within the sector. Team17 Digital and astragon Entertainment’s sustainable gamescom 2024 booth not only represents a great example of re-use and recycling at scale, but illustrates that a more sustainable trade show exhibit can also be more cost-effective, saving your bottom line in the process.
Finally, we developed a checklist for each chapter that provides a series of clear actions for event organisers to benchmark their progress against, stacked along a scale of ambition to illustrate the difference between baselining and leadership. We hope this provides a launching point for everyone to start from, regardless of their organisational capacity or how far along they are on sustainability as a business.
Our hope is that this guide circulates across the industry to help event organisers make the case internally for expanding and enriching their events through sustainable actions, rather than feeling a pressure to contract them. Instead, games events can be a force for good on the environment, influencing stakeholders across the supply chain to act more sustainably, raising awareness on environmental topics with attendees, and raising benchmarks for the wider events sector to aspire to.
As we continue to update the guide with new case studies, guidance, and best practice models, we would love to hear from those who have used it in their contexts to initiate positive change for their events already. The resource is not designed to be a static document, but an evolving toolkit that can prompt others to go further, and celebrate those who are already leading the way.
With that in mind, please consider sharing the guide around internally, start using those checklists to begin taking action, and come back to us with feedback or questions to help us continue sharpening the guide with new learnings and practices. We’re looking forward to seeing how the industry uses this resource as a launchpad for transforming its events to contribute towards a more sustainable future.
This post was written by Alex Avard, Project Manager for Playing for the Planet.
