[-empyre-] Is green gaming an oxymoron?

[Kasyoka Mwanzia]

Talking geographies, sustainability and the developing world in
environmentalism.

I’d like to comment on what Lauren has pointed out that most consumers
are unaware of the impacts of their e-waste. For many people in the
developing world myself included, our “old” electronics somehow seem
to find a second life - repaired, refurbished and reused. It’s a cycle
that yes increases the number of years before they become e-waste but
one that also removes us from having to directly engage with their
disposal.

Secondly, there is a very pervasive framing of the narrative of
e-waste as being a problem resulting from electronic discards from
high-income to low-income countries. I’m thinking for example of the
documentary “Welcome to Sodom” (2018) that focuses on the infamous
e-waste dump site Agbogbloshie in Ghana. There’s research on e-waste
flows (Lepawsky, 2014) however that shows that while e-waste is still
being imported into the global south, it is minimal in comparison the
waste generated locally.

To that end there’s a noteworthy initiative to try and localise
environmental engagement through location based games by a project
called Enter Africa. I'll highlight the Ghanaian contribution
“Chronicles of Klinu” that takes the player to Agbogbloshie.
https://www.goethe.de/prj/eaf/en/lbg/wor/21425112.html

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Kasyoka Mwanzia
@kasmwanzia