Computer game developed in partnership with Smith School and Oxford Saïd researchers wins UNEP award
A video game designed to help players make more sustainable food choices earned an innovation award from the Playing for the Planet alliance. The award was received by Sony Interactive Entertainment in recognition of the collaborative work carried out with Oxford researchers on the game Pecking Orders.
Playing for the Planet is a UNEP supported initiative launched in 2019 to guide the gaming industry towards the UN’s sustainable development goals.
The game was co-developed by Dr Stefania Innocenti, Associate Professor of behavioural economics at the Oxford Smith School and Dr Ximeng Fang, Postdoctoral researcher at Saïd Business School alongside Sony Interactive Entertainment and the game studio Media Molecule. It is part of a multi-year research project funded by Sony Interactive Entertainment, with academic results set to be published as preprint in 2026.
Dr Innocenti presented the research findings emerging from the experimental study built around the game at the
UNEP Green Game Summit. She commented:
“We were very pleased to see Pecking Orders receive this award. Our aim with the project was to test whether what people learn through play could meaningfully shape their real-world choices. This award is an encouraging signal that such creative collaborations between researchers and game developers can make a difference”
Pecking Orders can be played on a browser and takes 45 minutes to complete. As part of their research, Dr Innocenti and Dr Fang asked participants to play the game and then order items in a virtual food supermarket platform to see how it had affected their decision making.
“Blending science-based messages with natural and entertaining gameplay was a key objective for the project, so for the game to receive this award is great vote of confidence in our work with Sony and Media Molecule. We look forward to sharing the results of our research in 2026,” says Dr Ximeng Fang.
Pecking orders can now be played by everyone.
