EcoQuest

Inspiration

A poll of 10 countries in 2021, including the US, UK, France, and Germany, illustrated that “the widespread awareness of the importance of the climate crisis…has yet to be coupled with a proportional willingness to act.” Only 51% of people said they would definitely act to protect the planet, with 14% saying they would definitely not and 35% torn. Further, the article cites that he most common reasons given for not being willing to do more for the planet were “I feel proud of what I am currently doing” (74%), “There isn’t agreement among experts on the best solutions” (72%), and “I need more resources and equipment from public authorities'' (69%). Emmanuel Riviere, director of international polling at Kantar Public, concluded that there is a clear concern for the state of the planet, but these findings highlight doubts regarding ability to make a significant difference in the Earth’s trajectory.

Michael E. Mann, professor and director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at The University of Pennsylvania, thinks such doubts are justified. He argues that “the bigger issue is that focusing on individual choices around air travel and beef consumption heightens the risk of losing sight of the gorilla in the room: civilization’s reliance on fossil fuels for energy and transport overall, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of global carbon emissions.” Beyond individual changes in lifestyle, what we need are “systemic changes that will reduce everyone’s carbon footprint, whether or not they care.”

I wanted to create a solution that shows the diversity in lifestyle choices and why exactly some lifestyles are not conducive to eco-friendly actions.

What it does

EcoQuest focuses on the diversity of socioeconomic conditions that allow someone to engage in an eco-friendly lifestyle. In this mock simulation, based on lifestyle conditions in the United States, someone can either navigate through a story that simulates their own, or they can explore another perspective. EcoQuest strives to be a powerful tool for promoting eco-equality by highlighting this intersectionality of environmental issues with socioeconomic factors and advocates for inclusive and accessible solutions. By presenting various scenarios and challenges, players can gain insight into the complexities of environmental issues and the importance of addressing social inequalities. Through interactive storytelling, I hope this game can foster understanding towards marginalized communities who may face systemic barriers to adopting eco-friendly practices. By operating using decision structures, the game encourages critical thinking and reflection on individual behaviors and their broader impact on the environment and society. EcoQuest can create an impactful and meaningful experience that contributes to a more equitable and sustainable future.

How we built it

I made the game in Twine, which is driven my the choices the user makes. The website provides more background on Eco-Equality.

Challenges we ran into

I have used Wix before but I never used Twine before. However, the platform was easy enough to learn to sue, and I had a lot of fun doing this project.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am proud of the amount I learned about the topic of eco-equality, something I never considered before.

What we learned

Eco-equality is a very important topic because it shows how beyond government, there are a number of socioeconomic factors that affect the ability to lead an "eco friendly" life.

What's next for EcoQuest

I hope to develop EcoQuest to have a repository of resources that individuals can use to educate themselves. If this were to be implemented in real life, the published game would be linked to the website. I hope to build on the game using more data that simulates socioeconomic conditions in the United States and around the world.

Built With

• twine
• wix