Unity released a new report today with data about gamers’ thoughts on climate change. According to its findings, gamers care deeply about climate change and are interested in doing something about it. They appear to be especially interested in how the games industry can affect climate change. That said, they aren’t always actively doing something about it.
Unity produced the report, called “What do gamers think about global warming?” in partnership with Yale’s Program on Climate Change Communication. Its drew its findings from interviews with 2,034 adults in the U.S. who play video games. The researchers asked the gamers for their thoughts and feelings on climate change, as well as whether the games industry was doing its part to mitigate the problem. The authors compared the study’s findings with those of Yale’s “Climate Change in the American Mind” report, published earlier this year.
In addition, the report found that the gamers — 73%, to be exact — believe climate change is real. 70% of gamers interviewed say they are worried about it, and 74% say it’s important to them personally. As for gaming companies, 56% of gamers interviewed think the industry has a responsibility to act on climate change. Gamers’ feelings about the topic include “angry,” “sad,” “disgusted,” and “afraid.”
However, while many gamers report strong feelings about climate change, they are less likely to put those feelings into action. The majority of gamers (55%) report they “rarely” or “never” discuss the topic with family and friends. One in ten gamers (13%) reported taking action on climate change after hearing news on the topic from a game or stream. Their reported willingness to partake in action is higher than the U.S. population overall — for example, 49% of gamers were willing to volunteer with a climate change organization, compared with 32% of the general population.