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The game’s main objective is to stop a giant meteor from crashing into the surface of the earth, which is set to strike after a fixed time period of 30 real-life days ( Meteor, 2018). Eco – What Is It, and How Does It Work?Įco is an online simulated ecosystem game developed by Strange Loop Games, funded by the United States Department of Education ( IES, 2015 Strange Loop Games, 2018b) and an online crowdfunding campaign ( Kickstarter, 2015). Drawing on interdisciplinary theoretical insight from fields such as psychology, game theory and sustainability, this article examines how playing Eco might promote environmental consciousness surrounding ecosystems. It is a simulated ecosystem where players must collaborate and build technology to destroy a meteor rushing toward the Earth, while simultaneously preventing harmful pollutants from escaping into the surrounding nature ( Strange Loop Games, 2018a). One way of communicating environmental issues is through videogames, due to their long history of raising awareness, educating and presenting contemporary research ( Eisenack and Reckien, 2013).Ī new addition to the library of games focusing on the environment is Eco. In order to educate the public about environmental issues, novel and creative methodologies are required ( Klöckner, 2015). Environmental education about these issues can steer human behavior toward a more harmonious relationship with nature ( Varela-Candamio et al., 2018).
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There is a strong scientific consensus that anthropogenic climate change is occurring ( Cook et al., 2013), and that it causes a wide array of negative alterations in oceanic life ( Lejeusne et al., 2009), plant disease rates ( Garrett et al., 2006), and biodiversity conservation issues ( Salafsky et al., 2002 Redpath et al., 2018). For decades, researchers have shown interest in utilizing such games to educate the public about sustainability issues (e.g., Sandbrook et al., 2015 Waddington and Fennewald, 2018). Aside from their use in entertainment ( Sweetser and Wyeth, 2005), videogames are also used in education as so-called serious games ( Wouters et al., 2013). Videogames represent one of the fastest growing media trends, with an estimation of 2.5 billion people playing them globally ( WEPC, 2018). The findings indicate that Eco is a viable tool for promoting some aspects of environmental consciousness about ecosystems, and suggestions for future implementation of Eco are provided. Qualitative data from seven respondents were subjected to a thematic analysis, revealing two main themes that highlight both game-based learning outcomes as well as barriers against learning. This study examined the educational potential of the digital simulated ecosystem known as Eco, in order to reveal how playing Eco might promote environmental consciousness surrounding ecosystems. Sustainability education has also become a subject of interest among environmentally minded game developers and understanding the educational impact of such games is rapidly becoming an important field. Research into the use of videogames in education is on the rise, and they are cementing their position as part of the modernized, digital classroom.
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