It is time for the game industry to lead on environmental, social, governance

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During the week of GDC, the UN announced the need for global cooperation to avoid global catastrophe.

Ever since working in consumer tech in the early ‘90s, I’ve hated myself for encouraging people to buy video game consoles and those plastic CD and DVD casings that often ended up in landfill if not properly recycled. Anyone remember the E.T. landfill story?

Back then, every new PlayStation or Xbox meant a pile of plastic and precious metals were discarded during every new console generation. From a human perspective, I was also distressed that I was encouraging addictive behaviors. I knew that behind industry guidelines to “play responsibly” and “games are great for cognitive development”, it was a double-edged sword to be a part of an industry that surpasses the movie business. Today, game culture is so prevalent, that there is now even a gaming disorder listed by the World Health Organization.

I believe it’s time for the games industry to take a leadership stand in the world of ESG (environmental, social, governance) — an organization’s responsibility to environmental, societal and governance activities.

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During GDC, I was not selling the latest game or console. Instead, I was there to talk to organizations about developing sustainable leadership behaviors for our new post-pandemic and ESG-oriented era where people, product and planet need to be integral to the CEO’s primary objective.

I was happy to read GDC’s website showcasing