Green New Worlds? Ecology and Energy in Planetary Colonization Games
First author: FrelikYear: 2024
Abstract
The chapter examines planetary colonization games as a subgenre primed for its ability to speak to environmental concerns, such as extractivism, sustainability, and biodegradation. However, although the subgenre ostensibly lends itself to the radical reimagination of models of civilizational advancement, the majority of games in this category reproduce attitudes and developmental mechanisms that underwrite the climate crisis. This chapter identifies a number of shared mechanics and conventions in the subgenre, briefly discussing Aven Colony (Mothership Entertainment 2017) as a paradigmatic text that encapsulates its ecological rhetoric. Finally, it looks at several titles that depart from the subgenre’s baseline, paying attention to how their narrative and procedural rhetoric can be harnessed in to raise awareness about environmental degradation.Details
Language: EnglishCountry of affiliation: Poland
Published in: Ecogames: Playful Perspectives on the Climate Crisis
Publication type: Book chapter
Source: https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.10819591.15
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