Video Games as Ecomedia explores digital games as powerful examples of “ecomedia”- media that addresses the complex relationships between technology, culture, and the environment by delving into the intricate intersection of these spheres in a wide range of video games to offer a fresh lens for game studies.

The chapters illuminate the ways storytelling, technological elements (graphics, sound, mechanics, etc.), and ethical design practices shape and are shaped by environmental problems, themes, and discourses. Recognizing the importance of play, the book investigates how video games encourage players to explore and reflect on environmental topics, and through critical analyses of player practices, affect, and more, contributors underscore that video games can equip players with a deeper understanding of ecological problems.

Discussions in the collection's chapters include: how walking simulators in games like Dear Esther, Proteus, ABZÛ, and Stray simultaneously allow connection with and dissociation from the complexities of real-world ecologies; the concept of zoopoetics as a lens to analyze nonhuman animals in video games such as Untitled Goose Game and Red Dead Redemption to allow players to consider animality, materiality, and agency in nuanced ways that challenge anthropocentrism; how the game Hexostasis illustrates the intricate connections between environmental agents through experimentation as players strive to achieve ecological goals, manage resources, and traverse the land while preserving ecological equilibrium. These discussions demonstrate that games often help players imagine responsible ways of engaging with the environment that extend beyond their digital worlds.