Repenser la conscientisation aux enjeux écologiques dans l’industrie du jeu vidéo à partir de Freire

Abstract

Video games as a means of social change have been underutilized when tackling the climate crisis. This article explores the way modern games integrate environmental awareness in the hopes of promoting the development of games with positive impact. First, it presents the concept of social ecology, both its possibilities as well as its trappings when applied in games. Paulo Freire’s pedagogy is then proposed as a way to bridge social ecology and video games. Thus, the article discusses the inherent limits of the videogame industry and its games concerning “conscientisation”, from inception to marketing, offering avenues to harness the full potential of interactive media to fight the climate crisis. The article concludes by advocating for a re-evaluation of our institutions and reiterating the urgent need for an open dialogue on the climate crisis between the different players of the videogame industry.

Keywords

• social ecology
• conscientization
• video game industry
• degrowth
• alt. games
• Paulo Freire