This year could be a green Gamescom indeed as the organisers implement multiple eco-friendly initiatives.
Feelgood Friday: Help Green Gamescom Go Greener
Written by Ollie Bradley at 08/26/2022, 12:24 AM
Recent years have seen the gaming industry double down on their environmentalism with such huge initiatives as the Playing for the Planet Alliance leading the way. And Gamescom - which is currently underway- is no different as they intend to make this year's event their most green Gamescom to date.
Video games can have a pretty hefty impact on the environment. Powering gaming rigs takes significant energy, for a start. But the biggest gaming event of the year, with its large infrastructure, power-guzzling exhibitions, and influx of visitors and exhibitors from around the world, is on another level entirely. Which is why it's heartening to see the event's organisers, The German Games Industry Association and Koelnmesse, making a concerted effort to offset their environmental impact. And in doing so, they even hope to inspire exhibitors to follow suit.
This year's green initiatives include offsetting their emissions with ClimatePartner. The event will use the Greenhouse Gas Protocol standard to calculate their overall impact, then support certified climate protection projects to offset.
But that's not all they're up to. Established in 2020, the Gamescom Forest is a project being undertaken in collaboration with Treemer to plant a climate-resilient mixed forest near Bayreuth. And this is where you can come in, as the project is relying on individual donations via betterplace to keep those trees coming.
So far 18,500m² has already been planted thanks to the generosity of the gaming community, and with over €20,000 in the kitty as of now, it looks like there's plenty more where that came from.
There are, of course, opportunities to donate on-location, with visitors being able to buy a green ticket online or at a ticket stall. Exhibitors, meanwhile, can work with ClimatePartner to offset the CO2 consumption of their stall through an appropriate donation.
All in all it's looking like a particularly green Gamescom. Chalk another one up to the games industry doing what they can to make the world a better place.