Pocket Gamer Connects, the UK’s biggest global gaming industry conference, is just around the corner, and we're proud to announce our green initiative in partnership with GamesForest.Club – an innovative non-profit organisation creating awareness about nature restoration within the games industry, reforestation and forest protection at the heart of its projects.
This project is set to change the way the games industry values sustainability, aiming to help restore nature with the power of gaming and shine a light on the importance of sustainable business travel. 52 companies have already signed up for GamesForest.Club’s initiative to invest in carbon absorption via planting and protecting forests.
10 weeks to save the games industry
And to help push the message home Matchmade CEO and Games Forest Club ambassador Jiri Kupiainen has kickstarted 2023 by launching the "10 weeks to save the games industry" social media challenge with GamesForest.Club co-founder Maria Wagner. Together they will be travelling around Europe by train for the next 10 weeks attending game shows and games hotspots to provide awareness around sustainable business travel and show the importance of making ethical travel decisions.
Pocket Gamer Connects will be the official media partner of this movement, with Kupiainen and Wagner checking in with us weekly so we can keep you up to date with their progress. There's an option to contribute to the fund as part of every event ticket purchase. You can watch the teaser trailer for their journey below and be sure to subscribe to their channel for updates as the pair continue their quest.
Their schedue (right now) runs as follows:
• Jan 19 Day zero - departure from Berlin
• Jan 23-24 PG Connects London
• Feb 8-9 Gamesforum Barcelona
• Mar 1-2 Hamburg Games Conference
• Mar 29 Game Habitat Malmö Sustainability Day
• Mar 30 Day 70 - return to Berlin
Of course Jiri and Maria will be checking in with us at Pocket Gamer Connects London, next week. Our annual big UK event for game makers, developers and publishers takes place on Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th January and our partnership with GamesForest.Club aims to bring more awareness to the gaming community on the importance of climate change and the actions people can take to protect the future of the planet.
"We want to create a global community of leaders, who shape and benefit from a green future within the games industry. We are thrilled to be partnering with such a highly regarded company and are really looking forward to this partnership to create a bigger conversation within the games industry as to how we can all collectively make a change to restore and protect nature," said Wagner.
Steel Media CEO Chris James commented: "It’s great to be involved in this project. We are really proud of being the conference that unites the international gaming community, and that does also come with a responsibility. We aim to support the environment and build an informed and supported community."
This year's Pocket Gamer Connects London will be the biggest one yet, with more than 2,000 attendees globally and more than 900 leading companies in technology and mobile games with names including Meta, Google, Sony Pictures and Disney.
You can still register for the event and donate to the GamesForest.Club initiative, with all contributions helping to protect forests in Peru and visualised in the Pocket Gamer Connects Forest.
