The companies behind PlayStation, Xbox, Angry Birds, Minecraft, Twitch and other video games and platforms pledged this week at the U.N. to level up efforts to fight climate change and get their throngs of users involved.
The promises range from planting trees to reducing plastic packaging, from making game devices more energy-efficient to incorporating environmental themes into the games themselves.
“I believe games and gamers can be a force for social change and would love to see our global community unite to help our planet to survive and thrive,” Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders.
Ryan said Sony’s plans include outfitting the next-generation PlayStation system with a low-power, suspend-play mode. He said if 1 million players use it, they could save enough electricity to power 1,000 average U.S. homes.
Some games already are set in drowning coastal cities, educate children about wildlife or otherwise address environmental issues. Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon anointed the Angry Birds character Red as an “honorary ambassador for green” in 2016.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Q&A: BITCOIN'S MASSIVE RISE AND WHAT COMES NEXT
The digital currency Bitcoin rocketed to a record high last week above $40,000 a coin.
VOLKSWAGEN TRIPLES ELECTRIC CAR SALES AHEAD OF CLIMATE RULES
Europe’s push into electric cars is gathering speed — despite the pandemic.
UK INVESTIGATES GOOGLE'S PLAN TO REVAMP CHROME BROWSER
Britain’s competition watchdog said it launched an investigation into Google’s plan to overhaul its ad data system over worries it could leave even less room for rivals in the online ad industry.
RACE ON: THE LINEUP FOR THE REVOLUTION OF THE CAR INDUSTRY
Wherever you are in the world, it’s hard to deny that 2020 was a challenging year - not least the automotive sector. With car sales plummeting amidst stay-at-home orders, consumers had a chance to reflect on their environmental impact, and as a result, electric vehicles are now more desirable than ever.
SOME UBER, LYFT DRIVERS SUE OVER CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURE
Drivers for app-based ride-hailing and delivery services filed a lawsuit to overturn a California ballot initiative that makes them independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job protections.
TARGET CONTINUES TO THRIVE IN WHIRLWIND RETAIL ENVIRONMENT
Target’s strong sales streak extended through a pandemic-shrouded holiday season after a hard push online and an increased effort to provide alternatives to customers who are trying to minimize risk.
TIKTOK TIGHTENS PRIVACY FEATURES FOR YOUNGER USERS
A month after federal regulators ordered it to disclose how its practices affect children and teenagers, TikTok is tightening its privacy practices for the under-18 crowd.
NEW MERCEDES SCREEN TO STRETCH NEARLY FULL WIDTH OF CAR
Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a key interior component of its upcoming electric luxury sedan: a large, curved screen that sweeps across almost the entire width of the car in the place of a conventional dashboard.
ELECTRIC TRUCK MAKER HITS 100,000 ORDERS AHEAD OF FALL START
An upstart electric vehicle maker said that it now has more than 100,000 orders for its new pickup truck.
CHINA'S GEELY, BAIDU ANNOUNCE ELECTRIC CAR VENTURES
Chinese automaker Geely says it will form an electric car venture with tech giant Baidu, adding to a flurry of corporate tie-ups in the industry to share soaring technology development costs.
