Matt Simpson. Art by Lindsay Falsone. Genius Games, 2019.
2-6 Players | 15-20 minutes | Age 10+
Ecosystem is a card-drafting game in which players must place cards in a 5 x 4 grid to cultivate their own ecosystem. The objective is to score points by positioning certain cards next to each other: bees will score points by being adjacent to meadows; trouts score points by being adjacent to dragonflies and streams; while predatory bears want to be adjacent to trout and bee cards. Diversity is also a key point-scoring mechanic, as the more meadows, streams, animals, and insects in the player’s ecosystem, the more points they will score; ecosystem gaps result in fewer points overall. Ecosystem supports two to six players, and each game is short, typically lasting around fifteen to twenty minutes. The cards are smaller than an average deck of cards, so the game can easily be played on most tables or desks.
Ecosystem is a competitive game rather than collaborative, as there is some competition for resources (the individual cards), and there is the potential to deny other players these resources. However, denying resources is often accidental since players will be primarily focusing on their personal ecosystem. Aesthetically, Ecosystem’s cards feature vibrant depictions of animals, insects, and geographic features, fostering affectionate feelings when placed within an ecosystem. Although since each card is prescribed a score, and the player with the highest score will be the winner, the card’s value rather than its connection to nature might take precedence during gameplay. Further, Ecosystem represents only a small segment of North American or Northern European ecosystems. However, homemade cards with unique rules could easily be added, for example, a mycelium network, represented by mushroom cards that boost points if they are spread out through the player’s ecosystem. Or small seed-eating birds, such as finches, that when placed adjacent to meadow cards cause them to spread. Otherwise, Ecosystem’s mechanics make the player pursue diversity and balance in their ecological microcosm, which is deeply evocative of the importance of such pursuits in broader ecological thinking.
Adapted from the Ecogame Ludography entry written by Seth Etchells, Charlotte Gislam, Lucy Roberts, Chloé Germaine, Paul Wake and Jack Warren.