Gameful interventions for pro-environmental attitude change

Videogames are persuasive tools that can direct players’ pro-environmental attitudes. However, there is limited understanding of their impacts on attitudes in a climate-themed context. With a focus on message design and framing, this paper investigated the role and significance of videogames in climate communication. We conducted two parallel within-subjects experiments using two climate-themed games, Beyond Blue (N=36) and Plasticity (N=37), to examine the effects of persuasive game design in directing attitudes. We found that, regardless of message design, both games increased players’ cognitive attitudes after gameplay. We also found that Plasticity’s multi-layered message design (central loss-frame with a potential hopeful ending) increased short-term awareness of the climate-change threat and long-term hope for dealing with the issue, balancing fear and empowerment and emphasising the intricacies of message framing. By demonstrating the efficacy of persuasive design and environmental message framing in gameful interventions using explicit and implicit measures, our paper contributes to the application of interactive technology for effective climate-change communication in the short and long-term. • Videogames can be persuasive tools in climate communication through message framing. • Environmental message framing in games can influence cognitive attitudes. • Subtleties of message framing in videogames can affect the reach of the impact. • Mixed message designs can enhance game-based climate communication outcomes.