New levels in play: The climate crisis enters the videogame world

Players battle rising sea levels, survive superstorms, rewild a dying biosphere. It can help in some ways, studies show. But first, can gameplay get greener?

Picture a player two-thirds of the way through Civilization VI, the empire-building strategy videogame. Things are looking good. They’re swimming in gold, their fleets rule the oceans, and victory is just around the corner.

Then, disasters strike, one by one. Floods take out their most productive industrial zones. A Category 5 hurricane wipes out an entire naval fleet. The seas begin to encroach on their territory, the rising tides submerging prime districts one by one.

The climate crisis is setting