Videogiochi a tutela del patrimonio culturale e ambientale in Italia: i casi Venice 2089 e Climate Hero

[Autom. eng. transl.] In recent decades, video games have assumed an indisputable importance, both from an economic2 and, above all, cultural point of view. This medium has demonstrated its potential not only as an effective form of entertainment and storytelling, but also in its ability to intertwine historical, political and social themes in a completely peculiar dialogue. Among these themes, sustainability and the environment have come to play an important role given their urgency in public and scientific discourse. A growing number of contributions have explored the potential of video games to raise awareness and promote action regarding these issues, underlining their educational potential especially among younger generations. Similarly, more and more international campaigns have used popular titles to inform about specific causes, such as Angry Birds Champions for Earth3, aimed at raising awareness of climate change, or Minecraft Coral Crafters4, focused on protecting Caribbean coral reefs. In the wake of this awareness, this contribution aims to investigate video game experiences that intertwine two main themes: on the one hand the narration of cultural heritage, on the other raising awareness of issues such as environmentalism, sustainability and climate emergency. The relationship between these two areas is completely significant, as it allows us to reflect not only on how video games relate to a cultural, environmental, historical and social reality of reference, but also on the potential of the medium to encourage reflection, criticism or even to invite active citizenship actions aimed at environmental sustainability. Starting from an emblematic reality, that of Venice, we will proceed with the analysis of two case studies, Venice 20895 and Minecraft Climate Hero6, videogame activations7 which delve into and discuss some environmental issues that are salient for the specific socio-cultural and ecological context in which they place. The case studies will be discussed in light of the semi-structured interviews with the project developers. Having different perspectives and objectives, the two case studies can constitute a starting point for understanding how green is perceived and expressed by players in the gaming world within activations in specific contexts. In this way it will also be possible to shed light on the links, not always evident, between the protection of the cultural and environmental heritage of the territory in a broad sustainability perspective that embraces various dimensions (economic, social, ecological)8, linking the present and the future. The chapter, after an initial overview of the state of the art of the debate on the relationships between video games, cultural heritage and the environment, will present the case studies and the analysis methods adopted. The following sections are dedicated to the presentation and discussion of the results obtained.