Nathan Szurek

Natural Aspects of Virtual Worlds: Degradation of Environment in Video Games

Video game use is on the rise. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) reports
that at least 59% of Americans play video games on a regular basis, but this is just the
tip of the iceberg. Not only are there an increasing number of consistent gamers, but
they are playing more hours than ever before. Over half of the U.S. population owns a
dedicated game console and gaming as an entertainment source is continuing well into
adult life with an average gamer age of 35 years. With survey results such as these, our
interactions with electronic entertainment sources deserve an examination. A look into
what influence these games might hold over us, what we might be learning.
No video game offers a perfect representation of natural life or ecology, but each
poses an identifiable mimicry of one. Cause for concern becomes apparent in our
interactions with these virtual worlds and what we are made to do, or choose to do.
There are a number of games that display patterns encouraging players to in some way
deface virtual environments in order to achieve short term personal or societal gain.
There is a significant lack of research on exactly how these actions affect our attitudes
in relation to the real world. However, in engaging with literature examining game
persuasion and education potential, I hope to reveal possible cause for concern and
examples of how in game attitude may be crossing the barrier into the physical world.

What Games?
I will be offering ecocritical examinations of Pikmin 2, Fallout 3, and Minecraft to
show ways in which they encourage in-game environmental dominance and a disregard
for the natural world in favor of short term personal gain. Furthermore I will take a critical

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look at Super Mario Sunshine which provides one look at a positive display of
environmental interaction. These games have been chosen for two reasons. First, for
their direct player interactions with each respective virtual environment, and second, for
their recency and popularity within the video game market.
To each I will be applying theory based on Cheryll Glotfeltys definitions within
The Ecocriticism Reader. She defines ecocriticism as an examination of the relationship
between literature and the physical environment. However, the literature in this case will
be the storyline, images, and interactions with virtual environments in each video game.
In doing so I will focus on Glotfeltys basic questions of ecocriticism. How is nature
represented? What role does the physical setting play? Are the values expressed within
this work consistent with ecological wisdom? In answering these I will identify forced
interactions that put players at odds with the environment and promote destruction and
wealth accrual over sustainable practices.

Pikmin 2: an Empire of Destruction

Captain Olimar, a veteran space captain, came home from vacation to find his
company threatened with bankruptcy. He and his co-worker Louie must travel to the
pikmin's planet to find treasure to pay back the company's debts. nintendo.com)

As this brief summary from Nintendo hints, Pikmin 2 takes place on an unnamed
alien world. In this separation from the familiarity of Olimars planet the pikmins world
is already set up as strange and distant. As a result we see an early dissociation from
this new world which offers some paltry justification for our failure to realize the
magnitude of our actions. Hearing the amount of debt the company has assumed
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Olimar becomes so shocked he drops a souvenir brought home from his last trip to the
faraway planet. It rolls into the scanning beam of a nearby ship and is appraised as
quite valuable. Learning this, Olimars boss sends him straight back to the planet to
begin further excavation of any remaining resources to pay off their debt. Thus begins
our Insatiable resource harvesting as players.
This mindset creates an image of the pikmins planet as nothing more than a
repository of resources meant to be gathered. Historically this is a dangerous mindset to
have when encountering new lands. This case is no different. With this goal in mind the
player is set at odds with the worlds other inhabitants, creating significant conflict where
none should exist. However, before discussing interactions with other wildlife I must first
explain the main signifier of the game, the pikmin themselves. These creatures make up
but one small part of a vast ecosystem of insects and animals. They band together to
complete tasks similar to a colony of ants. When the player first arrives on the pikmins
planet they encounter these creatures in the throes of combat and are instructed to call
the pikmin to their side in order to save them from being devoured. The player feels like
a hero in this instance and gains control over these indigenous creatures in a way that
appears mutually beneficial. While it may start this way the tone of the relationship
quickly changes.
Pikmin are created by transmuting certain materials, found on the planets
surface, directly into seeds from which the pikmin sprout. Substances that yield the
highest amount of new pikmin sprouts are, in fact, the carcasses of other deceased
animals or insects. While this may been seen as an advanced form of biological
recycling an apparent problem quickly arises. The ease at which pikmin are created and

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destroyed turns the player into a sort of general. Using natural elements, the pikmin, to
destroy other natural elements, the remaining fauna, players begin to focus more on
battle sequences than actually furthering their required goals. As a result we see a shift
from viewing the world as a wealth of resources to be gained, to something akin to a
battleground filled with enemies to be destroyed. Enemies that under natural
circumstances, would not be enemies at all.
For instance the most common creature found in the game is know as the adult
bugbear. This creature is nocturnal and spends the day sleeping peacefully. On the
other hand the pikmin are often safely hidden away before nightfall. Under normal
circumstances there is no cause for these two species to cross paths. However, as the
amount of new pikmin sprouts produced from the carcass of an adult bugbear are large
in number they prove to be an enticing target. That doubled with the ease at which they
can be defeated before fully reaching wakefulness makes them irresistible as a source
of pikmin replenishment. As a result a creature that often harmlessly sleeps through the
day is often eliminated purely for material gain.
Another enemy, is the iridescent beetle. A quick moving bug that has absolutely
no effect on the player or pikmin. It flits around the map hiding in dense undergrowth
unless disturbed. Once again there is no reason for confrontation but the player is
rewarded by promise of valuable substances that the beetle hides within its tough
carapace. Like an oyster it is cracked open to reveal the treasure inside. Where again
we see a harmless creature there is still a drive to kill and harvest far in excess of what
is needed.

Nathan Szurek

Possibly the most notable point in each of these situations is the fact that no
actual progress is made towards the players primary goal. Many of these creatures,
when slain, do not drop valuable resources that can be used to repay the debt. Instead,
they are sought and slain purely for the benefit of enhancing the players destructive
force. Each kill yields substances that either propagate more pikmin or increase the
strength and speed of a players current army. As a result each kill only serves to
facilitate further kills. In this we see the focus shift from resources mining, to these
unnecessary battle sequences which train players to indiscriminately kill all wildlife in an
area before attempting resource collection.

Pikmin 3: a Step in the Same Direction

Pikmin 3 is the most recent installment in this franchise and it does not stray far
from the first two games in its promotion of environmental dominance. This game
features different characters intent on saving their dying planet from starvation. Lack of
sustainable environmental practices has left their world barren of edible vegetation.
Rather than improve practices they have sent three explorers to once again gather
resources. However, in this case the valuables include edible plants that can be grown
on the crews home planet. Aside from a slight change in target the same methods are
used as pikmin are once again grown and harvested for destructive purposes.

Fallout 3: a Display of Indifference

This game differs greatly from the previous in both genre and gameplay style.
There is a central questline but it is enhanced and given depth by any number of other
minor questlines the player chooses to engage in. Fallout 3 is set in a post-apocalyptic
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wasteland where the earths surface has been defaced by nuclear war. Anything that
remains is scarred or entirely unfamiliar in its mutation. The player sets out on a quest
to locate his absent father and ends up aiding him in implementing project purity. A
means by which they will restore an entire bay of water to its previously drinkable
unirradiated state.
As in Pikmin 2 the player is set at odds with the natural world, but in an entirely
different way. This history of nuclear war has violently mutated all natural wildlife into
states beyond recognition. On top of this these new strains of animals have become
extremely hostile toward any human presence. They will attack the player on sight along
with any other computer generated characters. These newly violent creatures serve as
a reminder of humanitys past transgressions on the environment. In a way, the nuclear
holocaust has given nature a voice to speak back to humanity, but what is humanitys
response? To subdue nature even further and quiet its rebellion. The player serves as
a reminder of this as they again become an unchallenged leader of destructive and
submissive force. In this case the natural elements strike first, but all violence stems
from mankinds initial and complete desecration of the environment.
As far as the storyline is concerned some might argue that this shows a positive
practice and serves as evidence of the game as a positive influence. However, I would
assert that while purification of the bay is a positive step towards restoration it is nothing
more than an unplanned side effect. The player is not interested in restoring the bay to
improve the surrounding ecology, rather, this action is only performed as it is beneficial
to further human development. The water is purified for human consumption and the
growth of human food supply. In turn this will inevitably increase the human population

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density and place a growing strain on the already crippled ecosystems of this ravaged
world.
Quite possibly the most significant transgression in all of this is that after all the
destruction caused by nuclear war, humanity still implements no plan for reform or
restoration of environments. Humans still live in unsustainable ways and by destructive
practices. Battery cells are consumed, pre-war food is scavenged, and wildlife is hunted
without regulation. In one town a scientist even rewrites the genetic code of an ant
colony allowing for ignitable gases the retort from their maws burning and further
scarring the countryside. It is a testament to human stubbornness, encouraging the
player to stay the course in their domination of the natural world even in the face of
environmental ruin.

Nathan Szurek

Minecraft: Mining to Expand, Expanding to Mine

Minecraft is a different breed of game altogether. There is no story, the player
spawns into a randomly generated 64 bit blocky landscape that stretches into virtual
infinity. The game creates a host of different biomes. Each with its own naturally
occurring wildlife, vegetation, and weather conditions. The player appears in the
wilderness with no tangible goals and no instructions that explain how the game should
be played. Quickly players realize that blocks can be broken and reformed. Realizing
this they take off learning to combine different harvested materials in order to create
tools or construct structures.
Before long players realize just how valuable resources are for creating other
tools, decorations, and mechanical implements. This is when the resource harvesting
really kicks up a notch. A player wants to build a castle, so they deface a mountainside
with pickaxes for the required building material. They want space for a farm, so they
clear a forest. They need leather to create bookbindings, so they slaughter entire herds
of cows. The name of the game is excess, and no reins are in place to stall players in
their goal of endless expansion. Once they grow complacent with whatever they have
completed, they need only to move plots, clear more land, and start anew. However,
what really drives the mining function of this game is the more complex tools and
structures that can be created from subterranean resources.
At this point in the game players have often become more experienced and
comfortable with what is required for them to complete their individual goals and
projects. Early in the game, mining begins with harvesting coal exposed near the earths
surface. Coal is used in creating torches and as fuel for furnaces. Since there is no light
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underground the player needs to craft torches to mine further down for more valuable
resources. Once materials like iron and gold ores are found they require the use of coal
to be smelted into usable ingots. As a result a player mines for resources but cannot get
far without coal which must in turn be mined. A pattern emerges as the player must
gather coal in order to expand his mining operation which then offers more available
coal allowing the player to expand the operation even further. This minor reinforcement
is all the player needs to endlessly mine miles upon miles of tunnel to stockpile obscure
resources for future construction projects.
Aside from endless mining and expansion the player can gain resources in other
ways. Minecraft allows the player to breed animals for resources or utility. Animals in
the game that may be bred include horses, cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, donkeys, and
mules. The problem with the breeding system is that these animals have no
requirements for survival. The player can leave his penned in animal for days with no
consequence. They require no food, no water, and they have no natural predators.
When these animals are fed they enter breeding mode. Once two of the same animal
are ready to breed an offspring immediately appears. This miniature sized version of the
animal grows to maturity in about five minutes or so effectively increasing the players
herd size by 30%. As with pikmin we see a cycle of excess killing and breeding appear,
fostered by the ease with which each action is performed as well as the lack of
consequence for overcrowded pens and underfed animals.

Broken Ecology: a Lack of Consequence

Now obviously these are virtual worlds and no physical damage is directly done
to real world environments as a result of playing video games. However, what ties these
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three analyses together is embodied in Jeff stumpos term broken ecology, or a

definitive lack of consequence for environmentally negative actions within games. What
this means is that since these games are virtual worlds based on set rules that cannot
perfectly mirror true ecology, players may endlessly dominate, deface, and degrade
these in-game environments with no real consequences. The coding within each game
will not allow ecosystems to fail and will not create situations where the player is
required to think sustainably. This lack of consequence is what allows players to
become so overt in their dominance of nature. It is also what may teach attitudes of
indifference in our out-of-game society.
Im not saying that playing these games will foster any fundamental hatred of
nature or create world destroying individuals. I dont even think these destructive
elements need to be removed as I believe in the ability of games to offer complex
actions and solutions to problems presented. However, I would argue that games like
these should offer more reinforcement for positive environmental actions. As it stands
now there is an evident pattern of resource mining and destruction of nature within
these games that is reinforced in a large quantity of other games. I propose that instead,
where often dominance of the environment is rewarded and respect for the environment
is not, a balance between the two should be sought that might encourage players to
attempt greener methods in completing objectives. My aim is not to argue for a limitation
of in game actions, but emphasize that other tools may be used by game developers to
offer environmentally conscious alternatives to problem solving.
A necessity for this balance can be found in Ian Bogosts idea of procedural
rhetoric, or an assertion that there is a form of persuasion in video games that can

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come from these in game interactions. Specifically what these games teach us to do
and make us do in order to succeed. In some ways a game is programmed to pose
certain problems with limited avenues for solutions, and when a game teaches us to
solve the problem in a set way we are in turn programmed by the game. When we are
forced by games to perform certain actions like those in Pikmin 2, Fallout 3, or
Minecraft. We become comfortable with them. However, if a choice is offered, I believe
the persuasive element may be removed in favor of a more exploratory one.
When different consequences are offered for alternate problem solving
processes more weight is given to each choice the player makes. In this way a player
does not become comfortable with forced actions, but instead learns to be aware of the
consequences of his own decisions. While there is certainly no definitive answer as to
whether or not these games have a great influence on real world practices, an
acceptance of ecological destruction as a means to an end is not a mindset that should
be encouraged. However, alternate problem solving options are not necessarily
required for improvement. Instead, rather than focusing gameplay on negative
interaction, designers can instead emphasize themes of environmental protection and
restoration. One such example can be found in Super Mario Sunshine.

Super Mario Sunshine: a Restoration Project

Super Mario Sunshine takes place on the beautiful tropical isle Delfino where
Mario has travelled to take a much needed vacation. Unfortunately for him the island
has become polluted and what was once an exquisite paradise has been literally
swallowed up by greasy layers of pollution. This pollution consumes buildings, plants,
animals, and even a number of the islands inhabitants. It mars the landscape in ugly
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swirls that share traits similar to an oil slick and even physically damages the player
when they come into contact with it. In this case, game designers couldnt make it any
more obvious that this pollution is your enemy and whoever is creating it must be
stopped.
Mario is introduced in his iconic blue overalls and sets about cleaning up the
mess. Shortly thereafter the main antagonist is revealed with features that are at once
recognizable and strange. Proportionately his body is an exact replica of Marios in
every way except one. He maintains a shimmering blue color to all of his features
earning him the name Shadow Mario. In his familiar features but unfamiliar coloring he
is set up as a twisted reflection of the player. Shadow Mario is a negative of Marios
hero character and is in fact the source of all the islands pollution. These two Marios
create an interesting commentary on humanity as the cause of, and solution to,
desecration of the environment. Two sides of the same coin.
Aside from this principal enemy the player spends the majority of the
game clearing vast amounts of pollution and locked in combat with two types of
enemies. The first type consists of creatures that appear to be composed entirely of the
grease they serve to spread. These enemies cover even more of the landscape with
pollutive elements, swallowing up whole communities in the process and ensuring that
no one attempts to wash away the filth. Once again these enemies create an image of
the player directly fighting sources of pollution. The second type of enemy is one that
often causes destruction of property or acts as a hindrance to the island inhabitants.
The difference here is that these creatures are only enraged and are found covered in
the swirling grease. Once this is cleaned off each returns to its natural habitat and

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ceases its disruption. These creatures were never inherently bad, but were transformed
into monsters by the grease. In both cases the cure is pure, cleansing water distributed
by the player to remove the blight of pollution.

In the End
These games fall into place along a rather large and unbalanced spectrum. Titles
like Pikmin 2, Fallout 3, and Minecraft that encourage sublimation of nature are almost
too numerous to count whereas games like Super Mario Sunshine that promote positive
environmental practices are few and far between. However, even these positive
representations are in some ways hypocritical. With game consoles that are constructed
mostly of non-recyclable parts, and the massive demand for coal driven electrical
energy needed to power them, it is hard to say that any game truly displays
environmental positivity. However, I believe positive change can be created by
increasing the number of games that promote environmental consciousness. A cause
that would be well served by such a vibrant and interactive medium.

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Works Cited
2014 Sales Demographic and Usage Data: Essential Facts About the Computer and
Video Game Industry. theESA. Entertainment Software Association, n.d. Web.
20 Nov. 2014.
Bogost, Ian. Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. The MIT Press.
Kindle Edition.
Fallout 3. Dir. Emil Pagliarulo and Joel Burgess. Bethesda Softworks, 2008. Video
Game
Glotfelty, Cheryll. Introduction. The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology.
Eds. Glotfelty and Harold Fromm. Athens: U of Georgia P. 1996. xv-xxv. Print.
Minecraft. Dir. Marcus Persson and Jens Bergensten. Mojang, 2009. Video Game.
Pikmin 2. Dir. Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Nintendo, 2004. Video Game.
Stumpo, Jeff. E-cology: EverQuest and the Environment(s). Interdisciplinary Studies in
Literature and Environment 15.2 (2008): 29-40. Print.
Super Mario Sunshine. Dir. Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Usui. Nintendo, 2002. Video
Game

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