E144: Climate Storytelling Through Games, Art, and Joy

Climate resilience planner and Earthworks host Marina Psaros joins Molly Wood to talk about why the old climate communication playbook—scary charts, technical jargon, and doom-heavy messaging—so often fails, and how creative mediums can help people imagine and build better futures. They dig into Marina’s work with the King Tides project, tabletop games, virtual reality, video games, and artists who are using beauty, play, and storytelling to make climate action feel more tangible, less overwhelming, and maybe even fun.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why one-way climate communication, especially heavy science and “bummer” messaging, can shut people down instead of moving them to act
• How the King Tides project helped people see sea-level rise in their own communities through citizen science and local photography
• Why climate models can be useful but incomplete—and how community observations can help validate and improve them
• What tabletop games, classroom projects, and immersive experiences can teach us about making climate resilience more understandable
• Marina’s work at Unity Technologies, including funding games and projects that used real-world action, climate data, and storytelling
• How games like Pokémon Go, Ahi Kaa Rangers, Fathomverse, Minecraft climate challenges, and other playful tools can connect digital worlds with real-world conservation and climate action
• Why “not being cringe” matters when adults try to reach younger audiences through games and popular culture
• Marina’s podcast Earthworks, which highlights creatives using art, games, music, painting, and storytelling for climate solutions
• Why joy, beauty, nature, and creativity can sustain climate work when business and government fall short
• The case for valuing breathable air, weird animals, and a livable world without needing to justify them through a business rationale

Links:

• Earthworks podcast: https://www.marinapsaros.com/earthworks
• Marina Psaros: https://www.marinapsaros.com/
• Everybody in the Pool: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
• Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/
• Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/
• Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/2EsDhwQC2z

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.