The Green Games Guide

Most folks are well aware that board gaming, like most industries, carries an environmental cost. While the total impact of our industry may not be as high as that of other sectors, we should still address it: we need lots and lots of systemic improvement all through human society in order to (short-term) keep things from getting even worse than is currently inevitable, and (eventually) to get things back on track.

But exactly what to do isn’t always clear: “buy fewer games” is an obvious option, but insufficient; so long as the industry continues to exist, people will be manufacturing games. How can we make them more sustainably?

A group of industry professionals – publishers, designers, manufacturers, and more – have gone over research, figured out good / better / best options for improving sustainability in various ways, and collated version 1.0 of the Green Games Guide, a practical, easy-to-read guide for manufacturers, publishers, retailers, designers, and players. It’s a great resource!

(I helped out with some of the very early groundwork, but had to bow out before the real heavy lifting started, so can’t claim any real credit for the final result. But I can say how impressed I was with everyone’s dedication and passion: this is a volunteer project done in people’s spare time, with assistance from some folks in academic programs.)

If you just want to read the Guide, the link to the PDF is here. But the main website also has links to more about the project, the ability to sign up for updates when new versions of the Guide come out, and a survey link if you have comments, suggestions, or other feedback.

If you enjoy podcasts, Ludology Episode 298 “Green Team Wins” is all about the Green Games Guide – an interview with two of the folks behind it, Carlos Flores and Eric Zimmerman.

I hope you check it out!