Challenge age-old gaming tropes to remind players that nothing lasts forever and that pillaging nature’s pantry has consequences!

DESCRIPTION
Everything respawns in video games. This is convenient to make sure players don’t get stuck, but it’s originally a way to get around the harsh memory limitations of 80’s hardware. You know who has no memory limitations? Mother Nature. And so, in reality, nothing just respawns. Regeneration isn’t a given; it must be earned. Can games rise above their old habits and reflect this truth more honestly?

WHY IT MATTERS
We live in a society of compulsive accumulation towards everything. We have become accustomed to changing smartphones every few years, collecting superfluous items, and buying from fast fashion chains. This approach can be very dangerous: with video games we can provide alternative ways.

DO’S & DON’TS
Show the consequences of capitalistic approaches. You can show, even in a very harsh and explicit way, what happens when capitalism leads to fighting over a few resources. The consequences of such a conflict can be a powerful tool for getting across the importance of sustainable consumption.

Allow to recycle resources. Instead of offering the player an unlimited number of resources to collect, create a system that encourages reusing the same things over and over again.

Reduce the available storage space. A small inventory forces the player to select resources very carefully according to his or her priorities. This makes excessive hoarding more difficult and allows the world to be perceived differently than a huge chest of gold.

Ways to support this goal include:
The Limits of Hoarding
Reclaiming History
The Extinction Achievement
Settle With Care
Origins of Lanayru Desert