Gamifying Climate Change: How Climate-Oriented Boosts Influence Strategy in a Virtual Reality Common Pool Resource Game

Abstract

Despite acknowledging that climate crisis is a global emergency, human attempts to curb emissions are still insufficient. This partially stems from unprecedented nature of this threat which looms large but for many is relatively distant on a temporal and social horizon. Participants in this study engaged in an incentivized common-pool resource game within an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment. We compare participants behavior in VR game in two conditions in which either additional environmental cues and interventions are present (experimental) or not (control). Both quantitative and qualitative results from the experiment provide clear evidence of interventions impact on resource management strategy. Participants in the experimental condition reported enhanced solidarity with other players and natural environment. Over the course of the game they shifted their initial strategy to more sustainable, even in the face of clear self-interest to maximize own resource intake.