Gaming companies have regularly appeared at the bottom of Greenpeace’s rankings for environmentally-friendly technology companies. In particular, Nintendo has regularly been at the bottom of the list, receiving criticisms for over a decade because of its use of non-renewable plastics, poor energy efficiency and lack of communication on how it aims to improve these in the future. Sony and Microsoft have appeared to improve in recent years by setting out detailed sustainability plans and more careful material selection policies, but even they pale in comparison to other tech companies ranked at the top of the list, such as Toshiba, Nokia, Lenovo and Apple, in their attempts to improve the sustainability of the materials they use.

In the face of such continuing concerns over e-waste, gaming may appear to be an exclusion zone for positive environmental change. But on the software level, developers are working hard to teach better green values and promote sustainability to captive audiences.

Jose Sanchez is the designer of Plethora Project’s Block’hood, a city building game with an environmental slant. It sees players strive to create cities that can prosper while balancing the delicate surrounding ecosystems; too much waste can force out surrounding plants and animals, cause sickness, and even change the colour of the land itself – turning from luscious greens and blues to dank greys and browns.