ClimarisQ: What can we learn by playing a serious game for climate education?

Climate change education faces the twin challenges of conveying complex scientific concepts and inspiring urgent action. ClimarisQ is a web and smartphone-based serious game developed by the Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (IPSL) to address these challenges by simulating climate–societal dynamics and extreme events in an interactive format. This article evaluates ClimarisQ's role as an innovative educational tool to raise awareness of climate issues. We outline the game's design (grounded in real climate models and IPCC scenarios) and its pedagogical objectives of illustrating the urgency of collective action, the complexity of climate-ocean interactions, and the ethics of decision-making under uncertainty. We present results from a user questionnaire (77 respondents) assessing learning outcomes and user feedback. Players rated the game highly in terms of usability, scientific content, and engagement (average 4.2/5 across categories), and qualitative feedback indicates that ClimarisQ effectively fosters discussion and systems thinking about climate challenges. However, many already knowledgeable players reported learning few new facts, highlighting the need to tailor content to varying prior knowledge. We discuss the strengths of ClimarisQ – notably its ability to simulate feedback and extreme events in an accessible way – and its challenges, such as balancing scientific accuracy with playability and ensuring inclusivity. Situating ClimarisQ in the broader context of climate outreach, we compare it with other educational games and initiatives. We emphasize the ethical responsibility of climate communication tools to empower action without misinformation or fatalism. In conclusion, ClimarisQ demonstrates how serious games can complement formal education and engage diverse audiences in climate-ocean literacy, an approach that is increasingly vital given the urgency of the climate crisis.