2024-09-23
PlanetPlay has teamed up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to launch an exciting new initiative, Play2Act. This unique collaboration aims to harness the power of the gaming community to address the urgent climate and nature crises impacting our planet.
What is Play2Act?
Play2Act is an innovative in-game poll designed to gather player perspectives on how video games can contribute to tackling climate change and protecting nature. By seamlessly integrating these polls into popular games, Play2Act allows players to express their opinions on the role of gaming in environmental action, all while staying immersed in their favourite virtual worlds.
The initiative is part of the Games Realising Effective and Affective Transformation (GREAT) project, funded by the European Union Horizon and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). GREAT seeks to explore how games can be a powerful medium for citizens to engage with critical policy issues, including climate action, from 2023 to 2026.
A Global Rollout
Set to launch in the last quarter of 2024, Play2Act will initially roll out in selected games, followed by a broader phase in mid-2025. The poll will be available in 10 languages—Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish—ensuring it reaches a diverse, global audience.
A Call to Action for Game Studios
Play2Act has already secured partnerships with some of the biggest names in gaming, including Microsoft Xbox, FunPlus, Rovio, Niantic, Sybo, Space Ape Games, Jagex, Trailmix, Hi-Rez, Creative Mobile, and Ten Square Games.
These founding partners are paving the way for the initiative, and PlanetPlay and UNDP are extending an open invitation to more game studios, regardless of size, to join this impactful movement.
If your studio would like to take part in Play2Act, contact Jude Ower
Together we can use the power of play to create a more sustainable future for our planet.