Last updated on 11 February 2026
What if we talked about the hidden impacts of digital with … students while playing? Trois-Rivières is a funny ‑aventure action video game, free and playable directly in the browser, which tries to raises awareness of the environmental and social impacts of the manufacture of digital equipment.
Designed for a wide audience from the age of 11, it offers an experience of around 30 minutes in a lecture session or media library workshop.
The team behind the project is pursuing a two-pronged approach: carry an ecological message in the face of technological acceleration and apply the precepts of digital frugality to itself. The bet is from my point of view won on both levels. Favorite.
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A light game, accessible on the web
Trois-Rivières is played online, without installation, on computer, tablet or smartphone, including on old devices. Trois-Rivières is a pretty little village that the player explores with arrows from his keyboard.
The player embodies Maï, a hiker who discovers the charming village of Trois-Rivières and makes the acquaintance of its inhabitants. The latter live happily in a form of sobriety, surrounded by three tributaries that give the hamlet its name. But the tranquility of the place is brutally upset: one of the rivers is affected by mysterious pollution. Maï sets out in search of Understand the origin of the disaster.
Her survey will lead her to the digital-related industries that have set up in the region: mining, assembly plant, recycling plant, and their impact on the environment and on people’s lives. The player explores the village and its surroundings using the arrows on the keyboard, gradually discovering the hidden backstage of our digital equipment.
The game is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Alt Impact program (ADEME, CNRS, Inria), which makes it possible to use it with confidence to talk about Responsible Digital with students.
Talking about the hidden impacts of digital
The scenario highlights aspects that are often invisible to students: mineral extraction conditions, globalised production chains, e-waste management and social justice challenges. The game mechanics support a simple message to use in the classroom: behind every smartphone, computer or console, there are resources, energy and people.
In an EMI, technology or geography course, Trois-Rivières offers concrete support for illustrate the data This is usually presented in a more abstract way (carbon footprint, extraction, e‑waste, etc.). The narrative and playful anchoring is a good starting point for rich debates on our digital uses.
A coherent and rare ecodesign approach
Super interesting feature for teachers and trainers: the game applies to ‑ himself the principles he puts forward. Trois-Rivières is developed with Phaser, an open source JavaScript library optimized for 2D games, allowing smooth execution in the browser without the need for powerful machines.
The choice of the ‑art pixel, the limitation of the graphic resources and the strong compression of the sounds result in a very light game, of about 14.2 MB, of which 10.4 MB are dedicated to audio. For comparison, a single photo of your uncompressed smartphone may weigh heavier.
This sobriety is in line with the current recommendations on the ecodesign of digital services and the environmental transition of video game. It is also an excellent point of support to address the question of responsible design of a digital service.
Pedagogical uses
Trois-Rivières easily lends itself to different use scenarios with middle and high school students.
- In NDE / technology : starting point for mapping the life cycle of digital equipment (extract, manufacture, transport, use, recycle).
- In SVT / geography : support to work on resources, pollution, environmental and social inequalities.
- In digital mediation (media libraries, EPN, youth organisations, CNFS): short animation to raise awareness of the impacts of digital before addressing eco‑gestes or re-use.
Free, Free and …ludic
The game Trois-Rivières is free and free. The source code and music are available under a free license. You will find it online at address three‑rivieres.net, from a simple web browser. I say bravo and even bravissimo to the team behind this clever little game.
I saw that one of the creators of the game said he was ready on LinkedIn to intervene in interested structures to present the approach and exchange around ecodesign and the impacts of digital technology.
The world of the game Trois-Rivières is both a fun turnkey resource and an interesting starting point for a broader reflection on our digital uses. Test it. Discover Trois-Rivières.
Here is the team of three people to whom we owe the 👏👏👏 game:
- Richard Hanna : original idea, game design and programming
- Philippe Salib : graphic design, level design and game design
- David Fonteix : game design, storytelling, music and sound effects
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