University of Reading take climate science to gamers
Climate scientists have helped create an interactive experience for playstation users
Climate scientists from the University of Reading have helped transform complex climate data into an immersive PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PlayStation VR2 (PS VR2) experience that puts users face-to-face with our changing planet.
Climate Station, developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is free for PS5 and PS VR2 players and uses the latest gaming technology, including virtual reality, to allow players to view, interact with, and understand complex climate data to raise awareness about climate change. Users can witness a year of Earth's weather unfold in real-time, explore over a century of temperature data, and navigate five possible climate futures—all guided by real scientific data from the IPCC.
Professors Ed Hawkins, Andrew Charlton-Perez, Richard Allan, Bill Collins, and Andy Turner worked with developers at Sony Interactive to translate complex climate research and create an experience where players can easily understand the impacts of climate change. The climate stripes, developed by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading, are used throughout the application to illustrate how fast the world is warming.
Millions
Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez, University of Reading, said: "Gaming reaches millions of people who might never interact with climate science. Graphs and data can feel overwhelming and abstract, but the science becomes real and personal when you can zoom into a hurricane forming or watch sea ice disappear before your eyes.
“University of Reading climate scientists brought decades of research expertise to ensure every detail is scientifically accurate. If we can help people understand the science through this experience, they'll be better equipped to make decisions about our planet's future."
Three Acts and an Explainer Library
Sony Interactive’s Climate Station leverages the key tech innovations from PS5 and PS VR2 to provide a deeply immersive experience for audiences as they discover their own climate story through three key acts, Weather Year, Observations, Projections. There’s also an Explainer Library to explore.
● Weather Year - An immersive visual timelapse showing Earth's weather patterns, storms, and climate events throughout a full year.
● Observations - An interactive tool using IPCC data to explore over a century of climate change through a 3D globe with temperature indicators and global tracking of key metrics like CO₂, sea ice, and sea level rise.
● Projections - Explores five potential climate futures based on different emission scenarios using IPCC models, showing how temperature rises and impacts vary depending on the choices we make today.
● Explainer Library - Around 90 minutes of content that demystifies climate change concepts, voiced by Meteorologist & TV Weather Presenter Laura Tobin, a University of Reading Meteorology graduate.