“Angry Penguin”: A Gamified Carbon Emission Education Game Design and Study

Abstract

Xiyu Zheng, Yuze Song , Xuerong Cai, An Chen and Jie Zhang

Environmental education for the public aims to inspire a broader range of people to engage in the practice of achieving sustainable development goals. This study introduces Angry Penguin, a gamified experience designed to prompt young people to reflect on unsustainable behaviors in daily life by vividly illustrating the hidden impacts of carbon emissions. Set within a dynamic sandbox world, players step into the quirky role of a wind-up penguin on a mission to challenge carbon-intensive behaviors woven into the fabric of everyday life. Central to the experience is the innovative “Penguin’s Eye,” a feature that reveals the invisible presence of carbon emissions, immersing players in a tangible exploration of the unseen forces driving climate change. What makes Angry Penguin unique is its ability to blend humor, empathy, and purposeful interactivity to provoke meaningful reflection on human behaviors and their environmental consequences. By engaging players through anthropomorphism and interactive gameplay, the game bridges the gap between knowledge acquisition and the transformation of daily actions, offering fresh perspectives on sustainability. This study contributes to the evolving dialogue at the intersection of gamification and climate advocacy. Through experimental investigations and the integration of player feedback, we explored how narrative - driven mechanisms and empathetic design can enhance players’ awareness of carbon emissions in gamified environmental education. This research provides valuable insights for more effective environmental education targeted at the general public.

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