“Using Games to Raise Environmental Awareness”, Keynote speaker, Videojogos 2024, Politecnic Institute Leiria, 6 December 24

Founded by French artist and game curator Isabelle Arvers and Brazilian carnival artist and filmmaker Livia Diniz, the Green Games – pedagogical kit project is a disruptive, low-tech, and creative educational proposal to raise awareness about the environment through green games. The idea is to hack video games to encourage changes in behavior towards the environment, playing games that adopt animist and native peoples’ perspectives, games that address narratives related to current climate challenges. Games developed responsibly, with less technology and more diversity in aesthetics and game mechanics: less competition, more collaboration. Through interactive workshops and the development of eco-friendly games, we’re empowering young people to become conscious creators within the digital space

About the author:
Dr Isabelle Arvers is a French artist, curator & critic whose research focuses on the interaction between art and video games. For the past twenty years, she has been investigating the artistic, ethical, and critical implications of digital gaming. Her work explores the creative potential of hacking video games through machinima. As a curator, she focuses on video games as a new language for artists. In 2019, she embarked on an Art and Games World Tour in South countries, to meet and interview 300 artists and game makers focusing on queer, feminist, and decolonial practices. In 2024, Arvers completed her PhD on Art & Games decolonization and teamed up with the Brazilian artist Livia Diniz to cocreate and distribute the Green Games Pedagogical Kit worldwide.