Following the success of its previous editions, the GamingonPhone Conference Online (GPC) returned for its 3rd Edition. The premier B2B gaming event from GamingonPhone took place on May 27, 2025, and saw multiple sessions from gaming industry experts delivering their insights to over 500-plus attendees.
The third edition of GPC Online explored a powerful and timely topic: Aligning Revenue Models With Environmental Impact in the Games Industry. Moderated by Ahmad Shaquib, the fireside chat featured two leaders in the space: Jude Ower MBE, Chief Strategy Officer at Planet Play, and Daniel Madrid, Co-founder and CGO at Dose.
Turning Gameplay Into Green Impact
Jude shared that Planet Play supports studios by connecting in-game purchases with certified green causes. “So, you know, through gaming, you’ve got in-game purchases, you’ve got premium games, you’ve got DLC. And so really it’s about, you know, how can we make a positive impact through the things that we do every day that we love to do, which is play games.”
Daniel explained Dose’s mission to integrate real-world rewards like planting trees or saving sea turtle babies directly into mobile and PC games. “We started with a different company that was a gaming studio developing games that were play to impact, at this moment, we pivoted and instead of being a B2C gaming studio, we became a B2B, environmental impact as a service for the gaming industry.”
Both agreed that these efforts not only make an impact but also drive strong KPIs: increased user engagement, longer play sessions, and higher spending.
Daniel pointed out that individual-based impact models tend to perform better. Players are more engaged when they know their personal action result in direct environmental rewards, such as planting a tree or saving a turtle. “It’s not the same as when you are being rewarded and you know you’ve been told thank you, because of your effort, you alone did it.”
Building Trust and Avoiding Greenwashing
With green initiatives, transparency is key. Daniel explained how Dose ensures every project is vetted and traceable. Players receive certificates with unique IDs tied to real-world impact, and partner studios can’t spend more on marketing than on the actual environmental work.
“We are supporting over 250 different environmental projects, and every single certificate has a unique ID, which we’re funding, of course, the impact and the trees planted and sea turtle babies saved.”
Jude added that Planet Play is a not-for-profit with a governance board to vet projects over 6 to 8 months. They also return CO2 certificates to studios to support sustainability reporting and player trust.
Challenges are here, but Platform Support is Growing
Despite growing interest, aligning monetization and environmental goals is not without challenges. Internal buy-in, especially at larger studios, can be tough. To support this, both Planet Play and Dose help with ideation, campaign design, and data-backed strategies.
Studios are experimenting with different formats like bundles, cosmetic items, and battle passes with embedded green actions. According to Jude, “Collectibles are really good as well, like you can collect the whole badge set, then I think that’s really powerful.”
Stores and platforms are starting to support green games. Jude mentioned that Google Play and Apple now feature green games around Earth Day and World Environment Day. Steam is also promoting eco-friendly PC titles. “We want the shop fronts to give more love and attention and spotlight the green games because it will drive more users as well.”
Daniel added, “Even outside of the Playing for the Planet, Apple, Google are featuring many games that are merging environmental impact.”
Gaming’s Role in a Greener Future
The panel wrapped up with one strong message: the biggest impact isn’t just trees planted, it’s the awareness. With over 3 billion players worldwide, games have the power to inspire change at scale.
“Probably if you play a game and you clean the ocean-bound plastic or you restore the coral reef, I hope players will think twice before buying a water plastic bottle or throwing it away,” Daniel said.
GPC Online 3rd Edition Unpacked – Further Reading:
