Urth Social

Play as a budding climate KOL.

Make choices to steer public discussions and shape a better future.

The next Climate Conference will be different because of you.

Finalist of "Just Play: A Game Jam for Climate Futures"

Narrative Design Features

• Avoiding apocalyptic clichés. Everyone already knows things are gonna be bad (at least for those who would play climate games)
• No grand strategies. Won't be useful unless you are a politician
• Focusing on simple actions anyone can easily take. Inspiring players to actually make an impact in real world
• Player choices that could influence public sentiment, measured across three dimensions: Hope, Tension, and Awareness
• 11 endings for different sentiment scenarios 
• Tough decisions between disruptive activism and moderate progress
• Dilemma of quick popularity vs avoiding controversies that erode public trust
• 100+ climate news articles adapted from authentic sources, to provide informative gameplay experience
• 50+ misinformation pieces categorized based on research papers, to equip players with debunking knowledge
• Wildlife themed content to highlight the importance of natural conservation and biodiversity
• Inclusive perspectives from minorities and indigenous communities to emphasize the vulnerability of the marginalized
• Technology, economy, agriculture, international affairs topics that interconnect with the climate crisis

Credits

• News sources: APnews, BBC
• Image sources: Flickr, Hippopx, Pexels, Piqsels, Pixabay, Pxhere, Rawpixel, Unsplash, Wikimedia Commons, Noto Color Emoji
• Music: The Modena Chamber Orchestra - Vivaldi's Summer
• Misinformation Research: 
  • Coan, T.G., Boussalis, C., Cook, J. et al. Computer-assisted classification of contrarian claims about climate change. Sci Rep 11, 22320 (2021).
  • Lamb, W. F., Mattioli, G., Levi, S., Roberts, J. T., Capstick, S., Creutzig, F., … Steinberger, J. K. (2020). Discourses of climate delay. Global Sustainability, 3, e17.