CHOICE at Level Up Gaming Festival 2026
23–24 May 2026 | Salzburg, Austria
Can climate action become something people can explore, test, and experience through play?
On 23–24 May 2026, CHOICE joined the Level Up Gaming Festival in Salzburg, Austria, bringing Hotspot Earth into the hands of gamers, families, and curious festival-goers. Presented by Jan Steinhauser from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the demo booth invited visitors to discover how a climate action game can turn complex challenges into an interactive experience.
Hotspot Earth: Exploring Climate Action Through Play
Hotspot Earth combines action gameplay, climate simulation, and decision-making elements to create an engaging experience that brings complex climate issues closer to citizens.
In the game, players build a growing climate movement while facing climate-related hazards such as droughts and floods. Through a series of choices and actions, they explore how different decisions can influence future climate outcomes and societal resilience.
The game also highlights the connections between climate hazards, emissions, food systems, and land use. By translating these interconnected challenges into an interactive format, Hotspot Earth offers players an accessible way to engage with the complexity of climate change and the opportunities for positive transformation.
Introducing Hotspot Earth to Festival Visitors
Level Up Gaming Festival provided an ideal setting to introduce Hotspot Earth to a diverse audience of gamers, technology enthusiasts, students, and families. Throughout the two-day event, visitors stopped by the CHOICE booth to test the game and explore its climate-focused gameplay.
By participating in a gaming festival, CHOICE continues to explore new approaches for engaging citizens beyond traditional scientific and policy settings. Interactive tools such as Hotspot Earth can support awareness and understanding by allowing people to explore climate challenges and their connections to food systems, land use, and societal choices through gameplay.
Extending the Experience Beyond the Festival
The festival activities also included a Twitch livestream hosted by Raunigel, an Austrian streamer, helping showcase Hotspot Earth beyond the exhibition floor and reach additional online audiences.
By combining in-person demonstrations with digital outreach, CHOICE continues to explore creative and participatory ways to make climate-related topics more accessible and engaging for wider audiences.
Interested in Hotspot Earth?
Explore the demo version and experience the game!
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