Stop ‘Button-Mashing’: Mastering the Energy Transition Like a Pro Gamer

Let’s start with a question: Pac-Man or Tetris?

Your answer might reveal more about your approach to life than you think—and to Europe’s energy challenges. Pac-Man players like to keep moving, chomping away at opportunities while avoiding ghosts of the past. Tetris players, on the other hand, prefer order, carefully stacking pieces to build something lasting. When it comes to the energy transition, we need a bit of both.

Level Up Your Strategic Thinking

One of the happiest days of my early life was the day I completed all the levels of Lode Runner. For those of you too young to know (or too old to admit they remember), it was a 2D puzzle-platform game where you collect gold coins while dodging enemies. It may sound quaint, but back in the 80s, this was the height of my entertainment.

My friends and I spent endless hours in basements, collecting gold coins, solving puzzles, and leveling up. But those hours weren’t wasted. Mastering video games from Tetris to Pac-Man taught me skills I didn’t know I’d need—patience, persistence, and trying again when strategies didn’t work. Who knew those sore thumbs were training me to think like a strategist? Turns out, my mom’s nagging about screen time was way off the mark.

The parallels to today’s energy challenges are uncanny. Europe finds itself in an incredibly complex game: balancing carbon reduction targets, affordability, and public support. Winning this game requires strategy, adaptability, and, above all, focus on the long-term goal: net-zero.

But let’s be real, the stakes are much higher than rescuing Princess Peach: The energy transition isn’t just a new level to unlock—it’s the ultimate endgame.

The Real Quest: Europe’s Energy Transition

Video games have come a long way since the 80s. Gaming turned from a leisure activity into a spectator sport, drawing millions of viewers. Today, the gaming industry is a €250 billion giant with more than 3 billion players worldwide. Individual players can earn millions through winnings, endorsements, and streaming. These aren’t just casual gamers; they’re strategists, collaborators, and problem-solvers. What if we applied their mindset to our energy challenges?

In the energy “game,” the traditional goal was simple: keep the lights on—and generate profit. Climate targets were a nice-to-have, like collecting extra coins on a level. But we’re way past that point. Today, the mission is clear: decarbonize—fast. Yet, Europe’s energy costs are set to rise, threatening public support for the transition. For utilities and policy makers this means recognizing that affordability is at the core of the energy transition.

Without affordability, this quest risks a Game Over.

Playing the Long Game

Currently, Europe is falling behind. The European Environmental Agency warns we’ll miss the 2030 carbon reduction target of -55% unless additional measures are taken. Similarly, adoption rates for EVs, heat pumps, and building renovations are trailing expectations. We need a new game plan. Business-as-usual won’t cut it. It’s time to crack our knuckles, chug an energy drink, and approach the energy transition with the same focus and determination that gamers possess.

Gamers master their craft not through innate talent. They fail, learn, and try again until they find the right approach.

Take Tetris. Its rise from a Cold War-era invention to a global phenomenon was no accident. Henk Rogers, the man behind its worldwide success, risked it all—his home, savings, even his safety—to secure its future. That stubborn focus paid off, and the world got one of the most iconic games in history.

Similarly, Europe’s energy transition needs to focus on the long game. It isn’t about quick wins but setting up the systems that deliver long-term benefits: domestic value creation, energy independence, and sustainable growth. To succeed, we must prioritize investments in cost-efficient energy infrastructure, much like upgrading your console to beat a new level.

Better Gadgets, Smarter Strategies

Let’s face it: you can’t take on Wario with a jammed controller. For the European energy transition, this means investing in better “gear”—grids, renewables, and storage solutions. Thereby the grid is like your controller. You cannot beat the game if it’s lagging or broken. Europe needs to nearly double investments in grid infrastructure, smoothing out the gameplay for renewables and EVs. It’s the kind of upgrade that transforms frustration into flow.

The European energy system will need massive energy transition investments to achieve net-zero. But here’s where smart strategy comes in: by stretching the timeline and focusing on cost-efficiency, we can cut and delay peak investments by 6 years and save way more than €1 trillion in capital (or nearly a staggering 0.3% of EU GDP each year). Furthermore, for households, we can stabilize average costs, with many transitioning customers even seeing their energy bills drop by 15-20%.

And this isn’t about doing less; it’s about doing things smarter.

For example, Electricity is the cheapest decarbonization option, with abatement costs far lower than alternatives like hydrogen. Yet, taxes and levies on electricity are three times higher than those on natural gas. Cutting these barriers would supercharge electrification, especially in sectors like heating and transport.

On the other hand, hydrogen, sometimes seen as the silver bullet for decarbonization (spoiler alert: it’s not), remains the costliest abatement option. Due to its expensiveness demand is developing far slower than anticipated. By delaying European hydrogen investments until demand picks up, we would slash related infrastructure costs. 

Leveling Up Together

No great game is won alone. Europe’s energy transition is a multiplayer quest, and we need all players on board—citizens, governments, and businesses. Yet, community resistance often slows projects like wind farms. Why? Because people don’t feel like they’re part of the game.

We need to hand citizens a joystick. Show them the stakes, give them agency, and let them feel the rewards of progress. Better public engagement can turn skeptics into supporters, making local communities allies rather than obstacles.

Video games have taught us that success comes from strategy, resilience, and collaboration. Europe’s energy transition demands the same approach. By focusing on affordability, playing the long game, and involving all players, we can reach our net-zero goal without breaking the bank—or the public’s trust.

It’s time to stop ‘button-mashing’ like amateurs and start gaming like a pro. The stakes are high, but with the right strategy, we can win this.

Now, are you ready to level up?