Ecological Melancholy – Green Media Mediography

ABZÛ

In the game ABZÛ, the player takes on the role of a diver in a part of the ocean. Without any knowledge on himself, the environment, or the purpose of being there, it is up to the player to discover the secrets of the deep sea. During this adventure, the player will swim alongside all

Rain World

Rain World might look a bit different than more prominent ‘ecogame’ examples but exhibits a few design decisions that stand out among other digital games and raise pertinent issues: Destabilizing anthropomorphism. The game exclusively features non-human protagonists and antagonists; moreover, while the in-game creatures are inspired by real-world counterparts (e.g. spiders and birds), they are

Walden; or, Life in the Woods

Walden (first published in 1854 as Walden; or, Life in the Woods) is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and—to some degree—a manual for self-reliance. Walden details Thoreau’s experiences over the course of two years, two

Soulframe

Soulframe is the spiritual successor to the live-service game Warframe, and was announced at Tennocon in July 2022. While Warframe already had anti-capitalist and -consumerist undertones, particularly in the form of the exploitation of natural resources in the Orb Vallis region of the game and the environmental damage this causes, the ecological sensibilities of Soulframe

Everdream Valley

The protagonist in the game only spends the summer holiday on the farm with their grandparents, i.e. this time is framed as an ‘interlude’ (rather than an alternative way of life) that should be savoured as much as possible Ties in with the genre of slice-of-life popularized e.g. in anime series; the references to anime

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.

Save the Earth Planet – ECO Inc.

In Save the Earth, players can develop modern green projects and the game helps you to find out the right strategy to avoid climate change. There are five different scenario’s a player can choose from when playing the game: Save the Earth, Seaspiracy, Climate strike, Crying animals and World’s water crisis. When playing for the

The Last of Us

The Last of Us is an ecological fiction that tells the story of two survivors in a dystopian world. The game shows both how the dystopia came to be, as well as proposing potential solutions.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the latest original entry in the Zelda series of videogames, which started with The Legend of Zelda (1986) and has grown into an iconic franchise since. While most Zelda games feature environmental themes, such as eternal trees, sacred forests and easily disturbed wildlife, Breath of the

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

City Rain

City Rain lets the player take on the role of member of the Rescue And Intervention Non-Profit (RAIN) organization. The player has to help reorganize cities in order to make them become environmentally friendly.

Citizen Science

Citizen Science is an adventure pizzle game where the player is tasked to help stop the pollution of the local lake through time travel. The player has to gather data and evidence in order to create arguments that are key to change the future.

World Rescue

World Rescue is a narrative, research-based video-game inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Through fast-paced gameplay set in Kenya, Norway, Brazil, India, and China, players meet and help five young heroes and help them solve global problems—such as displacement, disease, deforestation, drought, and pollution—at the community level.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn takes place in a postacolytpic world in which mankind is not at the top of the food chain anymore. Robots and machines have taken over control of the world and it is up to mankind to survive in a world filled their own technical creations.

Pipe Trouble

Pipe Trouble lets the player take on the role of a gas company that has to lay down gas pipes. The puzzle game requires the player to build profitable gas pipes, by making them as short as possible, whilst taking in account what both the community and government think about the position of your gaspipes.

Factorio

Factorio is a game about creating a fully automized supply chain. The player has to build factories, mine resource and research technology whilst fending off enemies.

Climate Defense

Climate defense is a unique take on the tower defense genre. The game tasks the player of preventing global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide.

Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is set in a dystopian future in which a nuclear war devastated most of the planet. During the gameplay the awe for technology and Artificial Intelligence is presented as a religion.

Bioharmonious

Bioharmonious lets the player combine the features of two planets in order to create a harmony between mechanization and nature.

The Environmental Sublime and Ecological Melancholy

Economides, L. (2016) ‘The Environmental Sublime and Ecological Melancholy’, in The Ecology of Wonder in Romantic and Postmodern Literature. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 109–152. doi: 10.1057/978-1-137-47750-7_4.

Climate Crisis

Climate Crisis lets the players cooperatively, or competitively research technologies which can change the course of our climate crisis. The players have to manage the needs for energy producting whilst keeping the population nourished. During the play session the players face numerous environmental challenges. The game can be played by 1 to 6 players.

CO₂: Second Chance

CO₂: Second Chance lets the players take on the role of CEO of an energy company. These companies have to respond to the requests of the governments for new, green power plants. The goal for the players is to stop the increase of pollution whilst meeting the rising demand for sustainable energy.

Rescue Polar Bears

Rescue Polar Bears is set in the year 2045. With increasingly serious global warming, the last area of ice on land at the North Pole is melting and all the polar bears are homeless. Players in this game will be a team formed by all nations to save them.