Green Media Mediography – Utrecht University

Thrifty Business

Thrifty Business by Spellgarden Games is not explicitly framed as an ‘ecogame’ – neither by players nor the developers – but it has some interesting characteristics for climate communication and sustainable behavior as it revisits the recently popularized shopkeeper simulation (sub) genre but focuses instead on topics like community care and material circularity. Rather than

Silt

While often categorized by players primarily within the horror genre, the indie game Silt foregrounds environment and ecological systems as central components of its gameplay. Rather than treating the setting as a passive backdrop, Silt embeds ecological themes into its formal design structures, shaping player interaction through environmental constraints and engagement with nonhuman entities. Silt

Dynamic Life (Minecraft)

This mod for Minecraft, shared for free via Planet Minecraft and as a paid premium version via Patreon, explores how plants in Minecraft could grow, reproduce, die, and interact with other species in complex, emergent ways. The datapack aims to transform the Minecraft world into a living ecosystem with dynamic, shifting biomes in which players,

Botany

As Victorian-era plant hunters, players travel the world in search of rare specimens to bring back to their estates. The game draws on a period of scientific curiosity and exploration, presenting nature as both fascinating and demanding, encountered through journeys and careful handling rather than simple collection. At its core is a system of expedition

Pokémon Pokopia

Pokémon Pokopia is perhaps the most explicit ‘environmental’ game in the franchise’s history, which makes it an interesting case study. Developed by Game Freak and Omega Force it pivots from the series’ traditional gameplay loop based on catching and battling Pokémon to a gameplay paradigm and corresponding story focused on restoration and rewilding. It has

Cloud Gardens

From the presskit description: “In Cloud Gardens the player overgrows lo-fi scenes of urban decay and manufactured landscapes. Plant your seeds in the right place to create small overgrown dioramas with hundreds of different items and progress through the stages in six chapters. Discover a dozen different seeds and learn how to make them thrive.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is an open-world adventure game developed by Ustwo Games. The game focuses on exploring the world and conserving the wildlife. On the website, the game is framed as re-creating the sense of wonder and relaxation of a child’s summer holiday and focusing on positive feedback loops as a “feel-good game about running around and doing

Solar Power

A psychedelic/folk-pop album by New Zealand -born artist Lorde. The album deals with nature as a an escapist haven, introspection, climate anxiety, and more through its lyrics, sonic themes and organic recordings such as the chirping of Cicadas.

The Botanical Revolution: On the Necessity of Art and Gardening

An art exhibition that features an array of modern artistic interpretations of the ecological and shifting cultural importance of the garden. The exhibition seeks to stimulate ecological awareness and tries to educate its visitors on garden practices and views on nature throughout history while emphasizing the Anthropocene.

Endling

From the game’s website: “Will the last mother fox on Earth be able to save its three little cubs Experience what life would be like in a world ravaged by mankind through the eyes of the last fox on Earth in this eco-conscious adventure. Discover the destructive force of the human race, as it corrupts,

Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds features an unnamed astronaut player character exploring a solar system that is stuck in a 22-minute time loop, resetting after the star goes supernova.[1] Thus, the player is encouraged to learn why by following secrets of an extinct alien race known as the Nomai, who previously visited the solar system thousands of years

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley mediates farming and gardening, the nostalgic longing for farm life and the idea of being part of an ecosystem. Yet the game's animal-friendliness is more of a posed idea than an enacted reality, as it has a discernible 'killable' hierarchy between types of animals.

Tokyo Jungle

Tokyo Jungle is a survival action game developed by Crispy’s! and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. The game takes place in a deserted, futuristic Tokyo, in which the city has transformed into a vicious wildlife wasteland.

Meadow (board game)

In Meadow, players take the role of explorers competing for the title of the most skilled nature observer. To win, they collect cards with the most valuable species, landscapes, and discoveries.