How To Be An Environmentally Thoughtful Gamer
The world is growing more environmentally conscious, and aspects of everyday life are being adapted to meet these new demands. Recycling has been a common practice for a number of decades now, but consumers are looking at whether they need to buy a product with that much packaging and plastic, as well as how recyclable it is. Workers are walking, cycling, and using public transport to reduce carbon emissions. Houses are built to be energy efficient. This trend is affecting not just everyday activities but hobbies too. Gaming is one such example. The industry and its audience are finding solutions to ensure that they can continue to do what they love sustainably.
Recycling and Reducing Waste
Plastic has been the focus of environmentalists’ scorn, and rightfully so. It is a material that does not treat the natural world well, as it doesn’t biodegrade, creating problems for animals, oceans, and humans which have to combat its long life. The gaming industry is looking to use less plastic moving forward.
Games are released physically and digitally. Physical releases have discs and plastic cases – much like DVDs and Blu Rays. Digital discs do not have any physical material: they are software. Naturally, with the release of the next generation consoles, Sony and Microsoft have placed digital-only versions on the market – these are consoles without a disc tray – and are promoting the opportunity to buy games from their digital stores which can be downloaded immediately upon release or purchase.
Updated and improved hardware – in the form of consoles or PC components – are released regularly. Existing hardware used and beloved by gamers can be quickly outdated and outperformed, which makes upgrading a necessity. Disposing or recycling the old hardware becomes the question thing to tackle. Microsoft and PlayStation, like many technology companies, accept trade-ins, where they’ll take back your old console when you purchase a new one. Other businesses allow you to sell your old console or PC to them which they will then sell on. There are, also, dedicated recycling facilities for this kind of waste.
Online Gaming
Forgetting in-person, physical gaming is an easy thing to do in this day and age. Everything is online. However, many gamers head to land-based casinos. There are differences between playing at an online casino and a land-based casino. Some will champion one and decry the other, and vice versa: how convenient it is to play slots online, the luxury of a brick-and-mortar casino, and the different payment methods available. An undeniable fact is that some gamers have to travel to not-online casinos. For environmentally conscious gamers, signing up for an online casino could be an appealing option. Or, as mentioned above, there are greener means of travel: an electric car, a bike, or public transport. Las Vegas, as a notable example, is looking to make their city more electric-vehicle friendly for the future.
Saving Energy
When people “turn off” their PC, TV, or game console, it often just goes on standby. This is for convenience, like a lot of things, as it’s easier to press one button, or move the mouse, and pick up where you left off. The issue is that energy will continue to be used. Not only can money be saved by turning these devices completely off when not in use, but the energy saved can help power many houses and buildings.
Just a few things to consider as a video game enthusiast!