This year's theme is: Change the Story

"Change the story” as this year’s Climate Game Jam theme means we need to show that we can (and must) end the age of fossil fuels, and that our lives will be so much better because of it. We need today’s best storytellers to immerse players in narratives of the future, showing struggles, resilience and successes of climate action. 

The scientific facts about global warming have been known for decades. But due to the bad actions of industry PR firms, the public was confused about even the basics. Even today some remain confused or hold conspiratorial beliefs about the realities of fossil-fuel-driven global warming. So part of “changing the story” is assuring that the scientific realities are conveyed clearly and authentically. 

On the other hand, many environmental messages come across as “gloom and doom,” in which the problems are described but paths towards solutions are less evident. Some climate change narratives quickly fall into "The Last of Us”-style apocalypses. Although future floods, droughts, and heat extremes will certainly be more intense in coming decades, their effects on people are never inevitable. Planning at the local, national and international scales can prevent many human impacts. In what ways can you imagine how changes in housing, energy, food, and transportation systems could protect the most people? 

Climate justice has proven to be an effective frame at changing the narrative. Burdens of fossil fuel use have so often fallen on indigenous communities, communities of color and other marginalized groups. Who instead benefits from continued reliance on dirty energy sources? 

Climate justice activists present visions of a world in which pollution is not in anyone’s backyard, where humans and nature are no longer commodified, and where today’s extractive, polluting economy is instead replaced with a regenerative one. Can games incorporate these ideals? Aesthetics such as Afrofuturism and solarpunk could help to shape vibrant visions of a just climate future within games. 

We’re at a critical juncture for climate action. New heat extremes are being set every month, yet there’s still more carbon pollution being released than ever before. Change is inevitable, but justice is not. It’s time to take control of the narrative to help us envision and realize a better future.