Gaming emissions make an impact
This is the opinion of Taylor Barber, CSB junior.
When I think of carbon-emission producing items, my brain often turns immediately to large-scale items such as cars, deforestation, airplanes and more. However, the small devices category of carbon emitters made up 10% of the total 53 million tons of global electronic waste in 2019, according to a 2022 Bloomberg article by Coco Liu.
One of these small devices that has often been looked past is video game consoles. Video games are a popular form of entertainment for many people across the world, and companies such as Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony benefit greatly from this market, which is priced at about $214 billion. Yet, as it is with many parts of our lives, gaming consoles and online gaming come with carbon-emission costs. Using these devices—even just having them plugged in and not active—can produce up to 24 megatons of emissions in a year in the US.
So, what steps do people, especially the companies who produce gaming consoles, need to take to make a step in the direction of carbon-usage decrease? Sticking with Microsoft and their Xbox consoles, the company has actually been vocal about their carbon-footprint and sustainable goals in the past. According to a Jan. 11 article update from Xbox directly, Microsoft has placed the goal of being “…carbon negative, water positive and zero waste…” by 2030. A step that they feel is important is adjusting the software for their Xbox consoles, making them “carbon aware.”
Essentially, the devices have been adjusted to conduct maintenance, updates and downloads at times where portions of the electricity used to power them comes from renewable or low-carbon sources. This is not the first time Microsoft has used this programming, though—this idea of carbon-aware software was first used with Windows 11 PCs in 2022. However, the recent announcement about the adjustments to Xbox electrical usage has caused mixed views across the board.
A 2023 New York Post article revealed that many consumers were not happy about this “woke” move with their consoles. At the end of the day, this is a step that will most likely be seen more and more often as companies such as Microsoft make the adjustments to meet their sustainability goals.
So game on. Being aware of your impact and making small adjustments can help in the long run, no matter what entertainment or console you use.
