The Most Captivating Games Advocating for Environmental Protection

Discussing environmental protection alone may seem mundane. High-level knowledge and complex research can leave you perplexed. However, when these experiences are integrated into game content, they become vivid and insightful lessons.

Many environmental protection groups and organizations have attempted to convey messages through gaming products, but most have backfired due to lack of experience. However, there are outstanding examples when professional game developers genuinely research and integrate suitable messages into players' experiences. Let's take a look at the top games that not only offer great content but also convey messages of environmental protection.

Eco – Lessons on Destruction and Construction

Eco's world is set in a sandbox environment similar to Minecraft. Players live on a planet full of lush greenery. However, a large asteroid has been discovered hurtling towards Earth. You must race against time to build a civilization strong enough to prevent the disaster.

Here, you'll chop down trees, build houses, and exploit resources to advance scientific and technological knowledge and societal life. However, the challenge lies in the fact that every time you exploit resources for use, there's a certain impact on the environment. The beauty is that you have to walk the fine line between how much to exploit within a safe range. Otherwise, you'll destroy the Earth before the asteroid arrives.

The dilemma of whether the environmental destruction you cause is worth sacrificing for what you're about to build is a core lesson. It's also the question that constantly haunts humanity today as we increasingly exploit natural resources for civilization's development. The game was released in 2018 on Steam as Early Access and received high praise from gamers.

Final Fantasy 7 – The Hidden Battle Against Nature's Destruction

You might be surprised to learn that Final Fantasy 7 is a game advocating for environmental protection. However, in the game's storyline, the AVALANCHE group opposes the Shinra Corporation because the company uses Mako energy to extract the planet's life force for its own gain.

Although the game's setting is not related to Earth but rather a planet called Gaia, the issues it addresses are almost identical to the current issues faced by humanity. It's an allegory about how large industrial conglomerates seek to exploit natural resources on a massive scale for profit. The consequence is a dying planet due to depletion. What Barret, Tifa, Jessie, and others aim for is to fight for environmental protection, much like the current activist organizations are doing in real life.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure – A Small Story with a Big Lesson

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is an environmental protection-themed adventure game released in 2020 on Steam, receiving many positive reviews. The game follows a British girl named Alba who travels to a fictional island called Secarral in Valencia, Spain. Here, she learns that the island's nature reserve has been destroyed by a forest fire, but instead of restoring it, plans are made to build a resort on the land.

From here, Alba begins her small actions to help preserve the island's natural environment. From picking up trash to rescuing endangered animals to campaigning to stop resort construction. Through the eyes of a child striving to do various tasks to protect the island's natural life, players will understand the significance of preserving the environment on this planet.

Reset Earth – Time Travel to Prevent Apocalypse

Reset Earth is a game developed and released by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2021. The game tells the story of a mysterious pandemic called GROW that occurred on Earth in 2048. This disease reduces human lifespan to only 25 years and almost wipes out humanity.

Players take on the role of a group of young friends determined to find a way to eradicate this disease and restore Earth. They search together for the origin of GROW and then travel back in time to various points in history. The results they find show that GROW originates from the depletion of Earth's Ozone layer combined with other factors leading to a pandemic.

Plasticity – It's Not Too Late to Turn Back

Released in 2019 on Steam, Plasticity is a side-scrolling 3D platformer with vibrant visuals that has received many positive reviews from gamers. The game follows the journey of a girl named Noa in a world heavily polluted after years of human exploitation. Noa's mother also died from complications after consuming too many plastic-contaminated foods.

In memory of her mother, Noa returns to Avalon Island, where her mother was born and raised. Upon arrival, she realizes that a place that was once vibrant is now a desolate island due to heavy pollution. From here, the girl is determined to clean up the waste, rescue creatures, and gradually restore Avalon's environment.

Plasticity shows gamers two environmental protection lessons: the bleak future when humans continue to recklessly destroy the environment and, in the end, there's still hope. There's still a chance to start over and restore before everything is truly lost.