Stories for Earth

Interview: Sam Beckbessinger and Simon Nicholson of “Survive the Century”

Sam Beckbessinger and Simon Nicholson are two co-creators of the new video game, Survive the Century, a choose-your-own-adventure game about the climate crisis.

By

Forrest Brown

in

A photo of Simon Nicholson and Sam Beckbessinger against a green background.

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Think of the biggest newspapers in the world. Now think of how much power and influence the editors of those newspapers wield. As an editor, your decisions about how to cover the news can have wide-reaching implications. You can influence public opinion, shed light on unknown stories, maybe even sway elections. You might also be able to expedite (or inhibit) climate action.

This is the premise of a new choose-your-own-adventure online video game called Survive the Century, and I recently had a chance to chat with two of its co-creators, Sam Beckbessinger and Simon Nicholson. The game’s third co-creator, Christopher Trisos, unfortunately couldn’t be with us that day.

In our hour-long discussion, the three of us talked about how video games can be used as a tool for climate communication, why finding good coverage of climate news can be so tricky, and why it’s more important than ever before to not give into nihilism. Be sure to play Survive the Century for yourself at the link below, and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Sam and Simon.

“Survive the Century” from Sam Beckbessinger, Simon Nicholson, and Christopher Trisos

The official logo for Survive the Century.

About the creators

Headshot of Survive the Century co-creator Sam Beckbessinger.

Sam Beckbessinger is the best-selling author of Manage Your Money Like a Fucking Grownup, sold in six countries. She writes horror stories and kids’ TV shows.

– “Game creator bios,” survivethecentury.net
Headshot of Survive the Century co-creator Simon Nicholson.

Simon Nicholson is an Associate Professor at the American University, focusing on global environmental governance, global food politics, and the politics of emerging technologies, including climate engineering and carbon removal technologies. He is co-founder of the Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment and the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy.

– “Game creator bios,” survivethecentury.net
Photo of Christopher Trisos, co-creator of Survive the Century.

Christopher Trisos directs the Climate Risk Lab at the African Climate and Development Initiative. Dr Trisos is a co-ordinating lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6th Assessment Report.

– “Game creator bios,” survivethecentury.net

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Forrest Brown Avatar
Forrest Brown
Forrest Brown is a climate writer and the creator of Stories for Earth. His writing has appeared in Facing South, the Long Now Foundation, and The Write Launch. He lives in Decatur, GA with his wife and cats. He also blogs at Sticky Weather.

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