The ‘Big Fish Games’ infographic depicts the amount of waste caused by video game consoles, and the impact it has on the environment. According to this chart, there are 6 billion pounds of consoles sold, which is the equivalent of over 5,555 Statues of Liberty. This means that it would take Nintendo 1,453 years to recycle all of the games and consoles. What many may not be aware of is that it takes .4 gallons of crude oil to make one pound of plastic; and there are more video games in the world than humans.
The underlying message of this infographic is that most of the plastic used to create these devices does not decompose, hence it would be wiser for people to download the games instead. This would result in saving 2.4 billion gallons of crude oil, and would reduce the amount of toxic waste in the air. In fact, it would be the equivalent to taking 20,131 cars off the road—quite remarkable.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Green Gaming
- Opportunity for game companies to develop environmentally friendly gaming consoles and devices.
- Digital Download-only Games
- Opportunity for game companies to focus on digital download-only games to reduce waste and environmental impact.
- Recycling and Upcycling Programs
- Opportunity for game companies to establish and promote recycling and upcycling programs for old consoles and devices.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Gaming Industry
- The gaming industry can take an initiative to create eco-friendly gaming consoles.
- Environmental Industry
- Enabling data that can encourage environment-friendly behavior in the gaming industry.
- Manufacturing Industry
- Partnering with game companies to create sustainable gaming devices.
