The Role of Serious Games in Shaping Pro-Environmental Behaviours: Changing Attitudes Toward Renewable Energy

Introduction

The topic of gaming has gained growing interest in information systems (IS) research in recent years (Gong et al., 2021; Ketter et al., 2016; Koivisto & Hamari, 2019; Kwak et al., 2021; Li et al., 2014; Liu et al., 2013; Lowry et al., 2015; Lowry et al., 2013; Nandhakumar et al., 2013; Tan & Yang, 2022; Teng et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2021). Games have become an integral part of our lives, which is why they are increasingly being used for other purposes than pure entertainment, such as learning, training, informing, or advertising (Michael & Chen, 2006; Susi et al., 2007). In IS research, this type of games has also been discussed under the notion of serious games (Astor et al., 2014; Feldmann et al., 2014; Nguyen et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2014), which are aimed at engaging users to elicit behavior change through motivation (Goh & Ping, 2014; Ntsweng & Tan, 2016; Schuller et al., 2013). According to a report by Metaari Research (2017), global revenues from serious games are predicted to rise from $3.2 billion in 2017 to $8.1 billion by 2022, which indicates a growing demand.

In general, serious games can be used to improve decision-making capabilities (Jerčić & Sundstedt, 2019; Loh et al., 2016). Further, serious games have attracted attention from various fields, including education, healthcare, politics, business, and sustainability (Djaouti et al., 2011; Katsaliaki & Mustafee, 2013; Michael & Chen, 2006; Susi et al., 2007). In this chapter, we focus on the field of environmental sustainability, which has been regarded for diverse instantiations of serious games (see, e.g., Gugerell & Zuidema, 2017; Knol & de Vries, 2011; Moloney et al., 2017; Zhang & Zwolinski, 2015). Specifically, we consider the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions, which in view of global warming and climate change is one of the grand challenges for society (Gholami et al., 2016; Ketter et al., 2016). A report by REN21 (2017) shows that renewable energy supplied an estimated share of 24.5 percent of global electricity by the end of 2016, nevertheless, the report also accentuates that an acceleration of the pace of the transition is required in order to limit global temperature rise. To that end, such transition can induce an eco-effective transformation in society, meaning that long-term ecological viability can be ensured (Hedman et al., 2012). While eco-efficiency relates to reducing the ecological footprint of existing environmental harmful solutions (Huppes & Ishikawa, 2005; vom Brocke et al., 2013; Watson et al., 2011), eco-effectiveness is considered to be the ultimate solution for ecological challenges and provides organizations the opportunity to reinvent themselves and raise their market values (Dyllick & Hockerts, 2002; Watson et al., 2010). The goal of eco-effectiveness is to “stop contamination and depletion, instead of only slowing down [the] speed … through a fundamental redesign of the system” (Chen et al., 2008, p. 195). For example, an organization might reduce its consumption of coal-generated electricity and thus pursue eco-efficiency, however, an eco-effective organization would instead switch to renewable energy sources (Watson et al., 2011).