Ruth’s Journey is a short narrative ecogame developed in the Netherlands by Nifty Llama. The game shifts the player’s focus toward observation and documentation of natural phenomena, with bird watching, the core game mechanic, framed as an ‘escape’ from oppressive work experience.
The game utilizes photography as the primary interaction method with the environment (rather than e.g. collecting or building objects). This encourages a ‘leave no trace’ approach; for example, to progress, the player must take photos of specific species of birds or plants. This requires moving slowly, observing patterns, and waiting, thus mimicking real-world wildlife photography and fostering patience. The stylized, low-poly art style avoids hyper-realism and focuses on re-enacting an impression of the Canadian wilderness in the 1970s. The sound design prioritizes diegetic noises like wind, rustling leaves, and bird calls over a constant musical score, grounding the player in an acoustically rendered ‘space’.
By setting the game in 1970s Canada, Ruth’s Journey allows for tapping into a historical period associated with the rise of environmental consciousness to offset the common and exclusive focus on the present. The dialogue and letters found in the game reflect a personal connection to the land that feels characteristic of the era and frames the forest as a historical entity with its own back story.
Ruth’s Journey successfully subverts the trope of ‘mastering’ in-game natural environments. However, the “walking sim” framework affords little impact on the environment itself, which can make it feel somewhat static rather than like a living system. On a related notes, the environmental themes are built into the script, i.e. players are not forced to make difficult ethical choices or trade-offs.
The game promotes ‘slow gaming’, both in the sense of slowing down oneself as a player and by rejecting the escalating logic of the game’s industry, e.g. realistic graphics and vast amounts of content. Still, the environment is designed with an eye on authenticity to the specific place it represents. Finally, the story appears somewhat anthropocentric as it foregrounds Ruth’s feelings and personal growth, which is developed through the experience of nature (though not in a clearly utiliarian way).