Tips To Protect The Environment As A Gamer

Many people are enthusiastic about video games and do not think about the environmental impact, which is not obvious. But before, during, and after playing, a lot of energy is consumed.

Computer games have long been more than a leisure activity for children and not so children. Most of these players, even those who are interested in the environment, do not think that this activity has a large environmental impact. However, online gaming is related to high CO2 emissions, the gas that contributes the most to global warming.

How to reduce co2 emissions when playing

Save energy with software

Do you let your game continue in pause mode while having dinner? This also increases power consumption. Therefore, it is better to check if your game can automatically save progress and enter rest mode before purchasing it.

Repair the console instead of throwing it away

Another tip to increase the longevity of devices is repair services. Although repair is not cheap, from an environmental point of view it is always better than buying a new appliance, since much less valuable resources are used for repairs.

Download long games instead of streaming them

Do you like to play at night? This can increase your CO2 emissions when gaming, at least if you cloud-stream the game for at least eight hours. Behind cloud-based gaming are data centers that need to be cooled and ventilated.

Also, game data must first be transferred to your home console, which also consumes electricity. The advice is that you download the games instead of playing them.

Turn off your consoles correctly

Standby mode also consumes power. Sometimes even as much as the active game. Therefore, it is worth turning off the devices correctly.

Support companies and campaigns that promote sustainability

A large part of the gaming industry is already taking steps toward climate protection. With the “Playing For The Planet” program founded as part of the UN World Climate Summit, 21 gaming companies, some of which are very well known, committed in 2019 to permanently reduce emissions and also to measure them.

The main manufacturers, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, have also joined a European agreement to make consoles more energy efficient, including systems such as automatic shutdown.