Can climate action be fun? The DEAR project Game On! proved it can. Through playful challenges, board games, and digital storytelling, the project invited young people to see sustainability as something achievable – and enjoyable.

Its Climate Game App – downloaded in nine EU countries – turned environmental goals into interactive missions. Players logged real-life actions, earned badges and built virtual islands, completing challenges such as Meat-Free Mondays, Car-Free Weeks, and Flight-Free Months.

In less than a year, more than 13 000 people took part, saving an estimated 7.6 tonnes of CO₂ – roughly the annual emissions of 1 600 cars.

In the same spirit, the board game Terra Futura was produced and played across Europe by over 2 000 young people, with 170 board game copies being donated to local organisations, schools, and clubs. While playing, young people realised how the current global system exceeds planetary limits and increases inequalities in society.