About Energetic
Aclimatetransitionboardgamebuildingenergyliteracy—andtrackinghowtherealworldmatchesitsdesign.
Our Mission
Energetic is developed to give everyone a chance to see the scope of changes and cooperation needed to transform the city's energy demand and supply in time to meet goals of the Paris Agreement.
Why Energy Literacy Matters
"The U.S. public is under-prepared and insufficiently educated to fully carry out the work required of them for the nation to achieve deep decarbonization or to participate and engage effectively in deep decarbonization planning processes."
— National Academy of Sciences
Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States, October 2023, p.224
Game History
September 2018
First Gameplay
Original game first played, beginning the journey of matching game mechanics to real-world energy transition challenges.
December 2018
Goes Public
Princeton University researcher Jesse Jenkins shares Energetic on Twitter, bringing national attention to the game.
2019
Green New Deal Update
Added GND budget ($6B starting budget as 600 Energy Bucks) and 2035 decarbonization timeline, roughly matched by the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act.
October 2023
National Academy of Sciences Validation
NAS report Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States validates the game mission: Americans are under-prepared for the energy transition.
2023
Climate Impact Cards Added
Updated decks with two additional impacts relevant to New York City: Extreme Precipitation and Wildfire Smoke.
December 2024
AGU Conference
Energetic presented at the American Geophysical Union conference.
May 2025
EGU Conference
Energetic presented at the European Geosciences Union conference.
About This Website
This website tracks hundreds of real-world news stories that match the choices and events in Energetic. The game captures many of the dynamics involved in climate and solutions, so matches occur weekly.
Since the game was first played in September 2018, there have been hundreds of stories in the real world that match the choices and events in the game. This website continues to track selected matches. There are far more than we can list.
The two biggest stories overshadowing and reflecting the dynamics in the game since the original design are: the Green New Deal (which influenced the Inflation Reduction Act) and the loss of the 2024 presidential election, which has dismantled the IRA and blocked almost all wind development until at least 2029.
The prices on cards have remained consistent with real world prices. An overview of the cards, with real world matches, is also in our Educator's Guide.
2018
First Played
100+
News Matches
2035
Target Year
Team & Credits
This website was developed by Shixue (Brianna) Bai (Lead Software Engineer) and Richard Reiss (Creative Director).
Thanks to NYC teachers: Matthew Sarker, Bronx Science; Rachel Wax, Eleanor Roosevelt HS; Adam Zaid, Queens School of Inquiry; Aida Rosenbaum, Bronx Latin; Deborah Reich, World View HS; Andrew Wells, NEST+m; Ross Pinkerton, Hunter College HS; and to Kristy Nguyen, W!se Institute
Creative Directors: Isil Akgul, Richard Reiss Game design: Ashley Brown, Connor Haseley, Truly Johnson, Janet Tam Program management and digital development: Julian Bernard, Archie Kinnane, Yuchen Liu, Theo Miller, Isadora Nogueira, Lalo Remes Thanks to: April Goldberg, Marie Fadeyeva, Philip Lindsay, Luke McGinty, Douglas Price, Bridget Scanlon, Forrest Sparks, Deepak Sridhar, Sasha Weber Inspiration: David JC MacKay, Greta Thunberg Many thanks to Jesse Jenkins and Eric Hittinger for testing the prototype of Energetic and to the Institute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College.
Ready to explore real-world matches?
← View News Matches