Plasticity is a game about a plastic-hidden world, created by students from the University of Southern California. The game takes place in 2140 and the main character is Noa, a young girl who searches for a better future in a world in which plastic consumption is still happening. The games involves an emotional journey, and the decisions made by the player have a direct impact on the storyline. The player can either help or harm the environment, and the consequences of the user’s decisions only become clear later in the game.
The core of Plasticity is the idea of the ‘butterfly effect’. The game is structured so that small, seemingly minor interactions with the environment have visible consequences only in later stages. For example, if the player chooses to save a trapped animal or clear a drain of plastic, the subsequent levels may appear more vibrant than they otherwise would. The game uses a stark contrast in its color palette. Areas littered with plastic appear monochromatic and sickly, while areas influenced by ‘sustainable’ player choices regain saturation and appear ‘alive’. The game uses relaxing music, with warm and muted tones. Sounds effects recorded from animals are incorporated to make the experience feel more ‘organic’ and natural. From that perspective, Plasticity has elements of contemporary ‘cozy’ ecogames.
Puzzles in the game are not just obstacles but partly convey the game’s messages but resource management and waste. For example, player can interact with plastic waste as a physical object, e.g. using a block of compressed trash to reach a higher platform, which forces players to literally “build” their in-game progress on the waste of the past. Sometimes, puzzles require the player to look at the ecosystem of a level (water flow, animal movements or plant growth) to find a solution, tentatively creating the impression of an interconnected world.
Plasticity avoids heavy dialogue, opting instead for embedded narratives. The background art, sunken cities, massive piles of non-degradable toys, and remains of industry, tells the story of how the world reached its current state without exposition or narration. By putting the player in the role of a young girl, the game arguably touches upon aspects of intergenerational justice, forcing players to grapple with a world they didn’t break, but are now responsible for navigating and potentially fixing.
Finally, the game focuses on avoiding ‘eco-guilt’ (Pihkala 2020). Instead of punishing players, it aims to empower them, frameing environmentalism not as a chore, but as a series of memorable moments that make it appear as if one person can shift the trajectory of the world.