The Finnish game industry has been pioneering in its approach to environmental responsibility within the sector. Key themes in environmental projects include identifying sources of climate emissions, calculating CO2 emissions, reducing emissions, and safeguarding biodiversity. The industry engages in both national and international collaborations on environmental themes, such as the established domestic forest conservation project Pelimetsä and the global initiative Playing for the Planet.
Biodiversity Preservation Project Pelimetsä & CO2 Calculator
Pelimetsä is an initiative by The Finnish Game Developer Studios Association to protect old Finnish forests and biodiversity. The initiative is a cooperation with The Natural Heritage Foundation. The project’s website provides game developers a simple, reliable, and transparent way to estimate the CO2 footprint of their business, and make voluntary donations to the forest protection campaign. All donations are made directly to The Natural Heritage Foundation, and they are used in the purchase and protection of old Finnish forests.
The calculator on the website is in open beta and it’s based on the the CO2 emissions calculations model by Neogames and The Finnish Game Developers Studios Association from 2022.
Model for CO2 Emissions Calculations for Game Studios
In 2022, Neogames Finland and The Finnish Game Developer Studios Association developed a model for Finnish game companies to estimate their carbon footprint. The model united the methodologies leading Finnish game developer studios currently use to calculate their emissions with existing third-party online resources, such as Ilmastolaskuri by WWF Finland.
The model is free to use for any company that wants to understand its carbon footprint better. It combines emissions from players playing the games, YouTube audience, office electricity, heating and cooling, wastes and purchases, working from home and travelling.
Checklist for Game Studios to Reduce CO2 Emissions
Neogames has created a comprehensive checklist to help game studios reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. This checklist is useful for any studio, even if they don’t know their current emission levels. Based on the Finnish Game Industry CO2 calculation model, this tool offers practical steps for reducing your environmental impact.
Strategies
Neogames Finland is a partner in STRATEGIES — Sustainable Transition for Europe’s Game Industries, a project which supports Europe’s game industries in realising their potential as drivers of sustainable innovation, contributing to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal and delivering an economy that works for people. The project is co-led by Utrecth University (coordinator) and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Neogames X STRATEGIES strategieshorizon.eu
Playing for the Planet
Neogames Finland and leading Finnish game studios Supercell and Rovio are members of the Playing for the Planet Alliance initiative, a collective effort by the gaming industry to decarbonise the industry and integrate environmental activations into their games. In joining the Playing for the Alliance, game companies have made commitments ranging from integrating green activations in games, reducing their emissions and supporting the global environmental agenda.