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Games for Change (G4C) provides support, visibility and shared resources to organizations and individuals using digital games for social change. This is the primary community of practice for those interested in making digital games about the most pressing issues of our day, from poverty to race and the environment. We are the social change/social issues branch of the Serious Games Initiative.

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EA and BP Partner for a More Environmentally Conscious SimCity

Posted by Hsing Wei on 10-16-07

Electronic Arts and BP Alternative Energy will highlight the impact of electricity generation on carbon dioxide emissions and climate change within the interface of the next release of SimCity Societies.

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The game will allow players to opt for more eco-friendly approaches to managing their cities.  The use of cheaper buildings producing high levels of carbon dioxide can trigger alerts about natural disasters like droughts and heat waves that threaten a city.  Meanwhile, more expensive BP Alternative Energy power options like hydrogen and wind power can avoid such hazards for a healtheir city.  Aside from an interface that provides environmental monitoring, information pop-ups will educate players on global climate issues.


Innovation in social change need not be confined to the sphere of nonprofits.  Reflecting a corporate social citizenship aim, Carol Battershell, VP at BP Alternative Energy remarked, “The time was right for this partnership. EA was developing the next iteration of the SimCity series at the same time that we were looking for opportunities to raise awareness about low-carbon power choices.” Set to be released in mid-November, the companies say the intent is that the game will encourage people to engage with some of the causes and consequences of global warming in a meaningful way.