Ecogames. Games and Play for Sustainability.

The summer course builds on and contributes to a growing body of scholarship that explores this phenomenon, and aims to situate it within the broader field of environmental humanities as well as, more specifically, green media studies, to complement existing research traditions that focus e.g. on environmental cinema, documentaries, or television. For that purpose, it brings together a diverse group of European ecogame researchers from universities in Warsaw (Poland), Manchester (UK), Cologne (Germany), Aalborg/Copenhagen (Denmark), and Utrecht (Netherlands).

For further information and a tentative schedule see our website.

Course leader

Dr. Stefan Werning

Target group

MA, RMA, PhD candidates, public or private sector practitioners interested in games and climate communication/education

Course aim

We explore key concepts and methodologies derived from existing ecogames research, combining the expertise of lecturers working at Utrecht University – both at the Center for Games and Play and the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development – with guest lecturers from our partner institutions. Participants will analyze representations of ecological and/or environmental transformations in games, employ creative metagaming practices to enrich climate communication/education, and critically engage with the multifaceted role (and ecological impact) of the digital and analogue games industries in the process. The workshops combine short lectures, discussions and practical group work components and together provide an overview of different methodological and theoretical perspectives on games and play in the context of the climate crisis.