The Ecocritical Dimensions of Entertainment Video Games: A Systematic Review

Abstract

As the climate crisis escalates, video games are gaining recognition for shaping environmental perspectives that might inspire change. Although research has tended to focus on serious games, the ecocritical potential of entertainment games is increasingly advocated. However, this potential remains underexplored from a transdisciplinary perspective that encompasses fields such as ecogame studies, game literacies, and game-based learning. This systematic literature review analyzes 80 studies published between 2019 and November 2024, addressing how entertainment video games engage with environmental issues. Six themes were defined: Game Design, Climate Change, Future-Oriented Perspectives, Posthumanist Approaches, Games in Non-Guided Contexts, and Games in Guided Contexts. These were discussed through the four ecocritical dimensions of video games: Knowing, Feeling, Imagining, and Acting. This review provides an overview of current research. It also suggests directions for future work, shifting attention from games’ ecocritical design to how players engage with and around games and their impact beyond gameplay.