Environmental problems in video games

[Never Sleeper]

(I hope thats the right forum)

Hey everybody,

If we knew got oddworld many hints to care about environmental problems like to protect the world for the creatures, woods, rivers etc. and the big problems to hold the balance between the industry and the nature.

Have you some more ideas what we can find for hints of background information or what we can see in these or other games? For example Sim City where you can build your own factories with all the consequenses of clima change (like the twisters).

I would need this informations for a presentation in english with this topic (environmental problems in video games).

At last, yeah I know my english isn't perfect. ^_^

[Wil]

Hi, Never Sleeper. Your English may not be perfect, but it is fun to read, and you’ve got a very interesting question. First I have to make sure: Are you asking us what other video games show environmental problems? If so, I can think of a couple.

Although I’ve never played the game, I think Crash of the Titans shows a natural environment undergoing hardcore industrial destruction for the construction of some giant machine/weapon.

Second thing that springs to mind is the Command & Conquer series, where an extraterrestrial material called Tiberium is rapidly spreading across the world, destroying natural environments and making large areas uninhabitable. It may be caused by extraterrestrial colonists rather than heavy industry, but it does show how human behaviour can become very defensive, paranoid, aggressive and exploitative when land develops a very harsh environment that’s hard to live in (such as global warming may very well cause).

You may want to seek out additional gaming boards, especially those that cover a wide range of games, to follow up on things people suggest here. I will keep this thread in Oddworld Discussion for a couple of days, then move it to Non⁴Oddworld Gaming to see if posters there have anything further to add.

[Never Sleeper]

Thanks Max for your answer. ^_^

Thats nearly the way I wan't to see whats showing other couple of video games for environmental problems but maybe I must try to expound the problems of the topic.

Exists parallel problems in the real world and the world of video games and how they wan't to show there?

- like in Strangers Wraith the barrange to produce energy without thinking of the
landscape (or the danger of floods you can see in the end).

- endangered species like in Abes Oddysee...

- Animal testing in Munchs Oddysee...

and so on. =)

[Killy]

A perfect candidate for presentation would be Fallout, hands down. I suggest taking a look at the series - they're all post-apocalyptic RPGs. Pretty much the whole world has been wiped out in a nuclear war and the environment and style of the game gives you a gritty picture of a "what if"-scenario, and it ain't pretty.

[Wil]

All right, keeping it here didn’t get a flurry of attention…