In recent times, the trend of ludic ecocriticism has spread, the gaming-related variant of the literary current that aims to study the relationships between literatures and the environment
Il adventure genre it is perhaps the most important in the gaming universe. More than sports titles, more than shooters, more than car racing. Also because the “Adventure” category includes a bit of everything: the solution of puzzles and mysteries, obstacles and tests to overcome, enemies to defeat, places to explore.
Well, perhaps it is precisely this last concept that represents the main characteristic of the adventure genre: the possibility of leaving the space in which we find ourselves, to make a leap into a different world, which can be fantastic or realistic, ancient or present, often also future. Adventure is in fact one of the most popular slot categories on online casinos, which offer players extremely varied settings: from ancient Egypt to Greece, from South America to Hawaii, from the Wild West to the boreal forests. In short, it is a dive into the environment that slots and video games offer. A dive into nature which often also has ethical and environmental sustainability implications.
When play is an escape into nature
In recent years, the strand of playful ecocriticism, the gaming-related variant of the literary current that aims to study the relationships between literatures and the environment. In this case, we propose a reading of video games that can be “a vehicle for an “education to see” the ecological tensions of the present”. A very interesting projectin this sense, is “To the last tree standing”, videogame made by Ogilvy Poland directly for Greenpeace. The aim of the project is to bring to the general public the issue of protection of the virgin Bialowieza forest, the last remnant of the great European forest. To attract the attention of young people, those called to resolve the damage created by previous generations, it was decided to reconstruct this forest, on a 1:1 scale, directly within Minecraft, one of the most loved games among Millennials.
Another title that looks at nature is “Open Country” released in 2021 and available today for PC, Playstation and Xbox. No monsters, no dangerous enemies, just the wild nature and beautiful landscapes of the forests of the United States. L’Objective of the game is to survive, therefore pushes the user to walk, backpack on his shoulder, to find things to eat, to build a shelter, to try to light a fire. All in the company of a dog, a faithful companion even in the world of gaming. A virtual world that helps us reflect on the importance of what surrounds us.