A Dynamic Engagement Model to Provide Ecological Awareness of the Climate Crisis through Video Games

We present an overview of elements that contribute to making successful video games that promote critical engagement with climate threats and sustainable futures. Major challenges exist in how to design engaging, serious games that target the climate crisis, including, for example, motivation, flow, learning outcomes, or even behavioral changes. Building on past research and different “ecological” games, we suggest a dynamic engagement model (DEM) that outlines four stages of engagement for video games, including before, during, and after gameplay and dis- or reengagement. We argue that more work should be spent on studying a holistic perspective of engagement, including the importance of engagement in the four stages, to improve our understanding of motivational factors for playing ecological games.