How some climate scientists use a Fortnite channel on Twitch to discuss and disseminate information about climate change to a young audience
Angela Watercutter / Wired : Tweets: @burkese , @wired , @thewastedworld , @cwarzel , and @fredkrupp Tweets: Sharon Burke / @burkese : Image of scientists shying away from public engagement turned on its head http://twitter.com/... @wired : Twitch isn't just home to elite gamers. On one channel called ClimateFortnite, climate scientists are discussing issues of global warming while playing Fortnite, hoping that Twitch's massive reach will get their message in front of more eyeballs. http://www.wired.com/... Gregory Marks / @thewastedworld : broke: publishing articles in niche academic journals joke: writing a blog, starting a podcast woke: espousing your ideas via Twitch stream while scoring sick no-scopes http://twitter.com/... Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel : climate scientists are so desperate to find ways for young people to pay attention to their messages that they've started a Twitch channel so they can play fortnite and talk about climate change https://www.wired.com/... Fred Krupp / @fredkrupp : Like @WaterSlicer I'm not intimately familiar with Fortnite or Twitch, but I'm glad they've somehow combined to teach a large/captive audience about climate change, a game we need to win. Ht @KHayhoe for inspiring this https://www.wired.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
Earlier in 2018, groups skeptical of climate change were gaming Google's largely automated ad systems to push claims that reject established climate science — a fight over who controls distribution to mass audiences. The ClimateFortnite channel is the pro-science answer to that same problem: instead of fighting the algorithms, scientists go where young viewers already are and talk global warming between Fortnite matches.
The choice of venue is not incidental. Fortnite had the largest console player base per Sensor Tower, and Twitch's pull on creators was strong enough that top esports players would soon quit competitive play to become full-time streamers. Years later, activists would treat the same game as a civic stage, with New Save Collective roleplaying ICE raids in Fortnite and GTA 5 to rehearse real-world scenarios.
First-order effects
- Climate scientists gain a direct line to a young audience without passing through journals or traditional press, upending the image of researchers shying away from public engagement.
Second-order effects
- Climate communication becomes contested terrain on the same algorithmic platforms: after skeptics exploited automated ad systems, scientists now compete for attention inside entertainment feeds rather than news ones.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, games and streaming platforms harden into default venues for public-interest messaging — from science outreach to activist roleplay — leaving institutions dependent on platform rules they do not set.
The trend: Public-interest communication is migrating from institutional gatekeepers to platform-native formats, with games like Fortnite doubling as stages for science outreach and activism alike.