Save the Pikas

Save the Pikas is a city building/management game in which the player is tasked with using their available funds to purchase upgrades for buildings and vehicles that ultimately reduce carbon dioxide emissions in order to mitigate climate change. The player must save pikas (adorable little animals that serve as the player’s assistants) by installing various upgrades to the town’s buildings and vehicles. Each upgrade has its own balance of carbon intensity, power savings (both based on real numbers), cost, and install time.

Save the Pikas addresses strategies to mitigate climate change through the use of energy efficient upgrades to buildings, cars, and lifestyles. It forces the player, through various elements of gameplay, to consider the amount of carbon being produced by each of their activities, and teaches how to minimize one’s personal carbon footprint. As part of the game, players are taught how much CO2 is “saved” (i.e. no longer released into the atmosphere) by making climate conscious decisions in the management of their fictional city, and must save as much CO2 as possible. Players are shown that making carbon-conscious decisions can be cost-effective in the long run, decreasing their power bill (which is how the player gets money).

The player is motivated by more than carbon footprint - the emotional impetus of the game rests on the plight of the American pika, an irresistibly cute, rabbit-like creature, that is increasingly threatened by global warming. The effects of the player’s actions are exaggerated to make their efforts more tangible (by reduced smog over the town and a greener landscape); however, all of the carbon and monetary savings statistics are based on real scientific data. So, when the player learns the most efficient saving techniques in game, they can directly apply this knowledge to their real life - e.g. simply properly inflating tires is a free way to achieve significant carbon savings (over one billion gallons of gas would be saved each year in the US alone if all drivers had properly inflated tires). Just like in real life, the best strategies are not always the most obvious or expensive, and this is for the player to learn. If the game is successful, the player will come away feeling a stronger connection between their everyday decisions, climate change, and cute furry animals.