Playing for the Planet?

A Process-Centric Framework for Analyzing Ecogames in Commercial Platforms

Abstract

As environmental crises intensify, video games have emerged as vehicles for sustainability communication. Stakeholders increasingly pursue “green activations” – campaigns mobilizing commercial gaming platforms to develop ecogames aimed at environmental awareness. This article refines and operationalizes a process-centric analytical framework to examine how socio-ecological contexts, campaign structures, and video game ecosystems co-shape ecogame design and circulation in such initiatives. Through a case study of a museum-led Minecraft campaign in Venice, employing stakeholder interviews, paratext analysis, and socio-material mapping, findings reveal persistent tensions: platforms reducing infrastructure and audience acquisition costs while imposing constraints on content design and distribution; awareness-raising aims without impact assessment; the perceived accessibility of popular platforms masking pay-to-access barriers; and erosion of institutional control as ecogames transition to third-party commercial distribution. The refined framework offers analytical tools for comparative research, enabling scholars and practitioners to critically navigate the processes shaping sustainability communication within commercial gaming platforms.