A new study has revealed its findings on the carbon footprint of physical video games, and unsurprisingly, digitally downloaded games are considered to be more environmentally friendly in comparison to physical. French carbon-accounting firm Greenly studied the environmental impact of various systems and the production of video games, finding that physical copies of games are “100 times more carbon-intensive” than their digital counterparts.
According to Greenly, the manufacturing and transportation of physical games–with 1 million discs being used as an example–could produce 312 tons of carbon dioxide, while 1 million downloads of the same game–if it were 70GB in size–would equal three tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
“Although cloud-based gaming can be detrimental as a result of its need for continuous access to energy-hungry data servers, we also cannot neglect the continued impact of manufacturing and packaging physical video games,” study author Stephanie Safdie explained to GamesIndustry.biz. “Ultimately, downloading a digital copy imposes emissions linked to electricity use at home, as well as the energy use of the concerned data center–but it does not have the same impact as the emissions created by the industry in terms of landfill and excessive waste, which are primarily still accounted for by physical consoles and hard disc copies of games.”
This study highlights an important aspect of gaming that often goes unnoticed. It’s interesting to see how physical products can have such a significant environmental impact compared to digital alternatives. This information can help gamers make more informed choices in the future.
I completely agree! It’s fascinating how the environmental impact of physical games can sometimes be overshadowed by their nostalgia and tangibility. It makes one think about the sustainability of our hobbies and the importance of considering digital alternatives in the future.