The Cité des Gons is hosting a unique festival until February 11. It mixes independent video games and environment. Games to try alone or with others, but also meetings and debates around this theme.
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Think about the environmental cause while having fun. This is the idea of the festival Save whoever’s life can, organized in Lyon, at the Subs. 14 independent video games are available to visitors free of charge throughout the festivities.
Their common point: they question our relationship with the world and the future of our planet. “These are not games that are going to say that we are in an ecological disaster, we know that. They will give hope for our relationship with the world in the future“, explains Nicolas Ligeon, member of the collective Under the neon lights, at the heart of the event.
The festival
“Save your life” highlights independent and committed video games. – (FTV – E. Gerenton / A. Remond / A. Gavin)
Post-humanity
Behind the controllers, young and old discover worlds where nature has reclaimed its rights. One of the games, Cloud Gardens, invites you to become a gardener in a world where humanity seems to have disappeared. Abandoned buildings become tutors for plants.
Old wagons are transformed into giant planters. “It’s a way of thinking about how nature can reclaim its rights. What legacy we will leave after our passage“, comments a visitor.
Green gaming
The ecological cause has become more and more present in the video games sector in recent years. In 2022, developers and studios signed a column warning about the environmental impact of the development of the metaverse. They emphasized the need for great computing power for the operation of this technology. An energy-intensive prerequisite.
Other voices are being raised to demand that the resolution of games be reduced in favor of more sober alternatives. “I have the feeling that independent games are tackling this theme head on. Big studios may have different requirements“, explains Diane Landais, member of the collective Under the neon lights. Conferences and evenings linking theater and video games can also be discovered throughout the festival.
“Save whoever’s life can“, until February 11, 2024, Les Subsistances, 1ᵉʳ arrondissement, Lyon.