Sustainable Games Alliance: Pioneers in Making the Gaming Industry Sustainable

The gaming industry, valued at nearly 200 billion dollars annually, is about to take a crucial step towards sustainability with the launch of the Sustainable Games Alliance (SGA). This non-profit cooperative, composed of gaming companies and industry associations, aims to transform electronic games into the most sustainable form of entertainment on the planet.

According to Jiri Kupiainen, former vice president of Disney and co-founder of the SGA, "games are the defining entertainment of the 21st century, and we believe the industry should lead in sustainability." The demand for concrete actions comes from players, employees, and regulators, and many companies are ready to do the right thing. The SGA aims to coordinate and enable these actions, relying on cutting-edge data and research.

One of SGA's main initiatives is the development of a global free and open standard for sustainability reporting in the gaming sector. "Games are world leaders in metrics and data, and they are in a unique position to leverage this in sustainability as well," said Ben Abraham, author of "Digital Games After Climate Change" and standards and research leader at SGA.

The alliance works closely with its members to align their practices with European regulations, such as the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The goal is to facilitate regulatory compliance, ensuring that companies can report their sustainability initiatives in a transparent, comparable, and data-driven manner.

Maria Wagner, co-founder and CEO of SGA, emphasized the importance of collective action: "The growth of the gaming industry over the past 20 years has been impressive, and if we can lead in sustainability, we can inspire other industries to do the same."

SGA already has the support of industry veterans such as Petri Järvilehto (co-founder of Remedy Entertainment) and David Helgason (founder of Unity Technologies). With several European companies and associations joining forces, the alliance is ready to make a real impact.

Kupiainen's journey towards sustainability began in 2018 when he realized the huge carbon footprint generated by his frequent travels between Helsinki and Los Angeles. "I started thinking about my carbon footprint and looking for ways to connect the gaming world with sustainability," he revealed.

SGA's first step is to develop a standard to calculate and measure emissions from a game studio in a comparable way across different companies. "Our initial focus is to establish this standard," Kupiainen stated. The European Union is supporting these efforts, helping to create a more accessible alternative for gaming companies.

Among the ideas being discussed are the elimination of physical packages and discs, but Kupiainen emphasizes that SGA does not intend to recommend drastic changes, such as limiting the frame rate of games to save energy.

In the coming months, SGA will begin announcing its members and implementing the first version of the emissions calculation and reporting standard. The expectation is that by the first quarter of 2024, companies will already start reporting their data, helping to create a global view of the gaming industry's carbon footprint.

The Sustainable Games Alliance is determined to transform the way the industry deals with sustainability, creating a positive impact not only in the gaming sector, but in society as a whole.