IIASA researcher Jan Steinhauser is currently working on a computer game that could help popularize climate science among younger audiences in a fun and engaging way. The game is called "Climate Survivors", and instead of taking on demons and vampires, players help fight the climate crisis.
Steinhauser has been working with IIASA since he was a master's student studying climate system sciences at the University of Hamburg. After initially focusing on land-use modeling, Steinhauser has joined the CHOICE project, as part of which he had the opportunity to work on a game about climate change and environmental issues.
"Climate Survivors" is a game in which players combat the consequences of global warming while learning about scientific facts, such as ways to mitigate and adapt to the crisis. It is inspired by a game called "Vampire Survivors". However, instead of vampires, knights, and magic, it uses scientifically accurate strategies to combat the increasing number of climate-driven natural hazards, such as floods, landslides, and droughts. Represented by monsters, of course!
Through this work, Steinhauser will explore whether games can have major impacts with regard to communicating science to audiences that are typically hard to engage through traditional methods.
"The scientific complexity of climate studies significantly limits the interest they receive from the public," explains Steinhauser. "For this reason, I decided to test whether packing a scientific element into something simple and fun, such as a computer game, could help us reach beyond the usual audiences with our research."
The concept demo of the game, released in July 2024, has already been showcased at multiple events and conventions in Austria. It is available on Steam - the largest computer game platform with over 100 million users. Steinhauser is currently working to add new features and upgrade the game mechanics, with the hope of releasing either an early access version or possibly the full version of Climate Survivors by the end of 2025.
Steinhauser has also received Austrian start-up funding through the aws First Incubator for Climate Survivors, enabling him to expand the team and to make the project more ambitious. Among other things, they will help to improve the graphics and animations of the game and add additional content.
With the help of IIASA, he was able to channel the game to the research community and beyond. In the coming months, he is planning to showcase the game at several large-scale international research and game events, including the Reboot Develop Blue Conference. Together with IIASA's Strategic Initiatives Program Director Steffen Fritz, Steinhauser is also working on further proposals to scale up the work on sustainability-focused games and their application for science communication and citizen science projects in the future.
© IIASACaption: Climate Survivors is a typical game in the roguelite genre, however, many bonus items that make your character more powerful are associated with climate change and sustainability. The longer you play the game, the more your choices influence the global temperature, making the game harder - or easier.
