Educational Video Game Initiative: International Collaboration on Environmental Awareness
Six European countries involved in our CREATE Project Erasmus+, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain—collaborated in an educational project designed to raise awareness about environmental and climate issues through the creation of interactive video games.
The activity followed a clear structure: each country first researched a key environmental topic, prepared study materials, published them on Padlet, and produced both games and video tutorials to teach and play them. The initiative culminated in an international online meeting, where participants presented their tutorials, followed by a live game-playing contest held during the mobility in Slovakia.
Lithuania focused on environmental challenges and climate change, covering themes such as temperature rise, flooding, agriculture, public health, and water pollution. The study materials explained the country’s efforts toward renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and sustainable land management. To create the game they used Kahoot! game-based learning platform. Lithuania’s video game educated players about climate impacts on agriculture, human health, and coastal ecosystems through interactive multiple-choice challenges and quizzes. The Czech team examined climate change, drought, deforestation, and endangered species such as the freshwater pearl mussel. Their materials explained how warming temperatures and extreme weather affect biodiversity and water systems. They chose a “Pexeso” memory game format, encouraging players to match environmental issues with their effects, reinforcing knowledge about droughts, floods, and forest health. Italy’s focus was on marine protection, water conservation, and the effects of climate change. The materials detailed threats to Italian seas such as plastic pollution, ocean acidification, rising temperatures, and the importance of sustainable energy and biodiversity. They chose scratch.mit.edu platform to create their game. It allowed players to explore challenges related to marine health, pollution control, and ocean preservation through animated storytelling and interactive decision-making. Romania centered its activity on the Danube Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site, emphasizing biodiversity, pollution threats, illegal fishing, and conservation practices. The study material also encouraged sustainable tourism and community involvement in environmental protection. Romania’s LearningApps game used drag-and-drop and multiple-choice activities to test knowledge about the delta’s ecosystem, emphasizing sustainability and protection efforts. Slovakia discussed global ecological issues, including recycling, emissions, renewable energy, and everyday environmental habits. Students learned about waste management (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), energy conservation, and sustainable transport. They used JeopardyLabs as the tool to create their game. The quiz tested players’ environmental literacy on topics such as renewable energy, pollution, and eco-friendly habits. Spain explored the impact of CO₂ emissions on climate change, describing local consequences such as rising temperatures, droughts, floods (DANA events), and wildfires. Their materials focused on sustainability strategies—renewable energy, sustainable mobility, and forest restoration. Using Scratch, Spanish students designed an animated educational experience to visualize how human activities affect climate and to demonstrate ways to reduce emissions.
After weeks of preparation, the partner schools gathered virtually to showcase their video tutorials they had created. Later, during the mobility in Slovakia, they competed in a friendly contest, testing their knowledge across all games developed by the six nations.
This transnational activity demonstrated how digital creativity, environmental education, and international cooperation can combine to inspire ecological awareness among students. Each country not only deepened its understanding of regional issues but also contributed a digital tool that encourages others to learn and act sustainably.