Test Post 1

With a commitment to supporting equality, diversity, and inclusion, UKRI seeks to work with organisations to improve how they engage with communities currently underrepresented in their existing activities. This includes considering the reach and inclusivity of activities across ethnicity, socio-economic background, disability, sex and age.

With that in mind there is an interest to understand what games could uniquely offer to support engagement with traditionally underrepresented communities.

Existing player data provides some (albeit limited) insights into current videogame audiences, particularly around age and gender. For example, in 2021 Ofcom reported similar levels of game playing in men and women at 61% and 63% respectively[2]. However while they were equally likely to play games they did so in different ways, with men more likely to use consoles and women smartphones. In short, game genre and platform influence player demongraphics.

Within the games industry, many are working to improve the diversity of representation within games – and within the games workforce[3] [4]. And audiences are building around games, characters and stories more reflective of and relevant to their particular communities and interests[5].

This suggests the potential is certainly there for games to engage a diverse range of communities, including those traditionally underrepresented in existing engagement work. However, as with all engagement activities, to stand the greatest chance of success those experiences should be designed with the specific audience in mind from the start and an understanding of the community embedded in the creative team and process.

This applies also to mitigating the impacts of digital exclusion on participation in engagement initiatives.

Games can of course now be played on a wide variety of devices. The widespread ownership of smartphones in the UK means they can enable inclusion of communities who might not have access to PC or console experiences[6].

However, there is still a significant proportion of the population who risk being excluded, even with smartphone-based activities. There may be many reasons for this including access to equipment, skill or limited interest[7]. Ensuring non-digital alternatives are not just available but core to engagement initiatives around games (rather than a peripheral add-on) is crucial to avoid exacerbating the impacts of such digital exclusion.

With this background of collaboration between videogames and climate science, we spoke to over thirty different organisations from across the videogame sector, social media, museums, festivals, research and local charities.

These ranged from local community bodies to national and international organisations. Familiarity with games varied considerably, as did experience collaborating with organisations in different industries on initiatives.
We explored the interest, opportunities and the practicalities of a public engagement gaming initiative focused on climate change.

All the respondents expressed interest in and saw much potential in the use of videogames and videogame culture. Common threads of interest and opportunity emerged. A range of practical needs and barriers to organisations being able to harness these and collaborate on games initiatives were also highlighted.

These opportunities and needs are summarised below.

From the above research and consultation, seven strategic opportunities for public engagement with climate science through videogames were identified:

Understandably most engagement approaches through videogames have historically focused on the creation or playing of a game. However, as highlighted, with so many new games released each year there is intense competition for players’ attention.

Modern video game culture though provides opportunity for a wider range of access points, including streaming, music, fan-fiction, fan-art[8], cosplay, modding. This culture is a rich and collaborative space which thrives in both digital and non-digital spaces, reaching diverse audiences and enabling engagement professionals to work with their existing interests rather than competing with them. Working with a wider variety of entertainment platforms, it can reach beyond those who self-identify as gamers.

The creation of videogames involves a wide range of skills and disciplines. For those already excited by videogames, this provides a pathway to inspire engagement with STEAM subjects.

Many organisations already embrace this, often with a focus on teaching coding and animation skills. However, the multidisciplinary nature of game development provides a way into a greater diversity of subjects beyond those traditionally associated with games, including music, science, engineering and architecture.

In the development of such skills-development programmes, opportunity exists to expand understanding of the transferable nature of these skills, their wider applications and the career opportunities they afford. This includes understanding their existing uses as well as inspiring future innovation around climate change.

As videogames have evolved, so too have the ways people interact with them. This is relevant not just to the importance of considering videogames as a media for public engagement but also to opportunities for innovation in the delivery of an initiative focused on climate change.

Technical skills and digital access need not be barriers to working in this space. And there are now multiple avenues for successful engagement beyond the need to produce a single breakout videogame; many of these have the potential to support greater engagement with traditionally marginalised communities.

A national initiative focused on climate change using videogame culture could enable multiple opportunities for learning. It offers an approach for pioneering new forms of engagement. Importantly, and especially following recent global events, it can also help organisations create and explore new links between innovative digital projects, their local spaces and diverse audiences across the UK and beyond.

[1] www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/11/video-games-music-youth-culture
[2] https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/3-2-1-go-video-gaming-is-at-an-all-time-high-during-covid-19/
[3] https://ukiepedia.ukie.org.uk/index.php/UK_Video_Games_Market#2021_Stats
[4] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/217825/children-and-parents-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2020-21.pd
[5] Modding: ‘Modifying’ videogames is the deliberate altering of an original videogame by a third-party. Often this can be encouraged by the creators, sometimes going as far as to provide tools and documentation to help fans produce their own ‘mods’. Modding can also be an unsanctioned, subversive act.
[6] Cosplay: Short for ‘costumed play’, Cosplay is a popular fan activity of dressing up as a particular character from a videogame / movie/ manga / comicbook world. Often twinned with role-playing and performance, Cosplay is a popular activity at festivals and conventions.
[7] https://www.statista.com/statistics/552623/number-games-released-steam/
[8] https://www.inverse.com/gaming/spider-man-miles-morales-ps5-harlem-diversity-inclusion