The Gamers with Glasses Show Episode 10: The Ethics of Eating Pokemon: The Ecology Special!

In this episode, we’re joined by special guest Alenda Chang (author of Playing Nature: Ecology in Video Games) to talk about nature, wilderness, and environmentalism in video games! We debate whether or not the Monster Hunter series really has an ecology, ponder the ethics of eating Pokémon, recollect the pleasures of hiking through the worlds of Oblivion, Everquest, and No Man’s Sky, and think about the ways crafting games like Cozy Grove, Animal Crossing, and Among Trees complicate any simple opposition between nature and civilization. Alenda gives us the lowdown on IndieCade’s Climate Jam and initiatives that some major development studios taking to be more environmentally friendly. We also chat about Housemarque’s neon-drenched arcade games, the weirdness that is NieR: Replicant 1.22…, and our non-game recommendations (a novel by Jeff VanderMeer, music by Porter Robinson, a nature documentary)!

If you haven’t already seen it, check out Alenda Chang and Ed Chang’s excellent list of “10 Games to Play for Earth Day”!