Climate Replay publishes NFT pledge for game developers and even players to sign

Climate change is a threat, but all industries can do their part in reducing harm for the future. PlayStation 5’s standby mode has a lower carbon footprint than the previous console, for example. With NFTs increasingly crowding the gaming zeitgeist, activist group Climate Replay has released a pledge specifically for game makers and players.

As spotted by VGC, Climate Replay’s pledge page lists the tenets of the agreement. The seven points in Climate Replay’s pledge are as follows. The group is “asking game studios and publishers to ensure any implementation of digital ownership, in the form of NFTs or otherwise:

• Brings meaningful value to players
• Does not make use of technology that is intentionally inefficient, resulting in a concrete, significant environmental impact
• Does not embrace artificial scarcity to generate speculative value
• Does not rely on unregulated, volatile cryptocurrency
• Does not disproportionately benefit early adopters or wealthier users/players
• Does not perpetuate either of the following negative aspects of the play-to-earn model:
  • Informal jobs
  • Shifts the primary purpose of a game from enjoyment to earning money
• Is implemented with transparency and takes seriously concerns from studio members”

Note that Climate Replay is not asking the games industry to abandon NFTs altogether — it is explicitly not. However, “reasonable implementation” of the technology is a new component of climate change. There are links at the top of the pledge page for both developers and individuals to sign.

Of course, game developers by and large seem uninterested in working in the NFT market anyhow. A GDC 2022 survey shows that they’re much more interested in unionization. Existing NFT services like Ubisoft’s Quartz program have seen sluggish sales.