Xenia Zeiler, University of Helsinki

(extended version, courtesy of University of Tampere)

This presentation highlights environment and climate change-related themes in and around two exemplary videogames. Through discussing examples from the games, interviews with and statements from game developers, discussions and reviews from players, and comments on gameplay videos by interested audiences that might or might not play games themselves, this presentation explores the characters and successes of new Asia-produced gamified approaches to globally creating awareness for and educating about environmental appreciation and mindfulness. How are nature environment-related themes taken up, who are the target audiences, and how are the games perceived? To discuss these questions, two theoretical frames/lenses are touched upon: educational videogames (e.g., Michael and Chen 2006) and gamevironments (Radde-Antweiler, Waltemathe and Zeiler 2014). Educational videogames can be of use when exploring how videogames and their environments support the negotiating, empathizing over, and transcending of conflicts as related to climate change, and environmental awareness. By acknowledging the representations in videogame narratives as well as how this is discussed by persons in the (closer as well as broader defined) vicinity of games, this presentation additionally builds on the approach of gamevironments. Gamevironments encompass the technical and cultural environments of videogames and gaming and acknowledge the diverse global gaming landscapes. Namely, this presentation looks into the two exemplary recently released videogames Tea Garden Simulator (Flying Robot Studios, India, 2023) and Little Witch in the Woods (Sunny Side Up, Republic of Korea, 2022).

Xenia Zeiler is Professor of South Asian Studies at the Department of Cultures, Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki. Her research and teaching are situated at the intersection of digital media, culture, and society, specifically as related to India and global Indian communities. Her focus within this wider field of digital culture is video games and gaming research, in India and beyond. Closely related to and supporting this are her other major research areas: In order to understand how digital spaces such as social media or video games, and more traditional media formats such as film or TV, shape and are shaped by various actors, she researches and teaches digital religion, popular culture, cultural heritage, and mediatization processes.