Rather than asking citizens to enter formal policy spaces, GREAT


explored whether policymakers could instead meet people where they already are. The project approached this through two complementary


methods. The first involved PlanetPlay embedding short, voluntary micro-surveys directly into commercial games through non- interruptive formats such as loading screens, menus and QR code activations. These deployments reached players across mobile, PC and console platforms while prioritising player experience and consent. The second method, known as Dilemma-Based Learning (DiBL),


used facilitated role-based serious games in classrooms, workshops and policy consultations. These sessions encouraged participants to navigate difficult trade-offs around governance, fairness and climate policy, generating qualitative insights that traditional surveys often fail to uncover.


KEY FINDINGS ACROSS CASE STUDIES What makes GREAT particularly compelling was the scale and diversity of its case studies. In Austria, the ‘Green Jobs’ initiative worked with policymakers to capture youth perspectives that directly informed a national education toolkit. In Cyprus, projects around urban climate adaptation used games to encourage intergenerational dialogue and support education policy discussions. Meanwhile, UNDP-linked ‘Play2Act’ deployments embedded sustainability engagement into major commercial titles including Subway Surfers and Pokémon GO, generating unprecedented levels of voluntary participation. The UK-based ‘Water Wise’ initiative combined workshops and


in-game engagement to explore public attitudes towards water scarcity and behavioural change, while South Africa’s ‘SDG Prosper’ repurposed open-licensed game frameworks to support self-directed learning and policy feedback around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Collectively, the results demonstrated something significant: games


can engage audiences at both extraordinary scale and meaningful depth. Across GREAT’s deployments, nearly one million players


encountered sustainability-related content. Between 20 and 30 per cent voluntarily engaged with the initiatives, while many deployments achieved completion rates exceeding 70 per cent. Responses were gathered from almost every country worldwide. Perhaps more importantly, the research suggested measurable


behavioural impact. According to the project’s findings, 79 per cent of respondents exposed to green gaming content reported at least one positive behavioural change, including reduced energy consumption, increased public transport use and more sustainable purchasing decisions. At the same time, the DiBL workshops revealed something equally


valuable for policymakers: citizens were often less resistant to climate action itself than they were frustrated by issues surrounding responsibility, trust and governance. Role-play scenarios helped surface hidden trade-offs and encouraged more constructive dialogue between participants with differing perspectives.


For the games industry, these findings arrive at an interesting


moment. Games are increasingly recognised not just as entertainment products, but as systems of engagement capable of shaping behaviour, building communities and facilitating participation at global scale. Governments and institutions are beginning to recognise this too. That does not mean every commercial game should become overtly


political, nor that players want to be lectured inside virtual spaces. GREAT itself highlighted important risks around transparency, audience sensitivity and the danger of perceived ‘greenwashing’ if projects fail to provide meaningful feedback loops and accountability. But the broader direction of travel is becoming difficult to ignore.


At a time when trust in institutions is increasingly fragile, games offer something many traditional policy processes struggle to replicate: participation that feels natural, accessible and genuinely interactive. For policymakers, that opens the door to audiences who are often


absent from traditional civic consultation. For studios, it provides evidence that players are willing to engage with meaningful issues when approached thoughtfully and respectfully. And for citizens, games can create spaces where complex issues feel less intimidating and more collaborative.


OUTPUTS, LEGACY AND NEXT STEPS The Final Dissemination Event made clear that the GREAT Project has successfully produced open-access games alongside detailed case studies, offering practical examples of how playful participation can support climate engagement. Its findings extend into policy briefs and academic publications,


ensuring relevance across both practice and research. Toolkits created for Planet Play and DiBL, along with data sets and facilitator guides, provide concrete resources for others to build upon. At its core, GREAT also delivers a reusable methodological


framework that can support future initiatives in science communication and participatory policy design. This work has already received international recognition, including


nomination as a finalist for the Falling Walls 2024 Science Engagement Breakthrough award. The GREAT project proves that games can operate as listening


infrastructures: spaces where citizens reflect, deliberate, and contribute to shaping climate policy. When thoughtfully designed, games bridge the gap between citizens,


industry, and policymakers at a scale and depth rarely achieved by traditional methods. Shaping a sustainable future requires listening at scale. The entire


team here at PlanetPlay, in addition to our industry partners and ever- growing community of players, will continue to support the GREAT Project’s work as it enters its next phase.


PlanetPlay is a not-for-profit platform that empowers gamers worldwide to contribute to biodiversity protection and environmental action through in-game purchases and gameplay with affiliated game studios. Find out more at partners.planetplay.com.


May/June 2026 MCV/DEVELOP | 33


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