6 Comments
Oct 29Liked by SolarPunk Stories

This sounds so exciting!! I can’t wait to play it and really dig into how these systems create a sustainable society.

I also really like the choice of bringing in the human-scale narrative of playing a single protagonist. I’ve noticed that solarpunk as a genre tends to be more broad-systems focused vs single protagonist focused in order to show that solving problems doesn’t ever rely on just one person, but I feel as a reader/audience it’s easier to be emotionally grounded when seeing things from a specific person’s perspective. I’m so excited to see how these mechanics work together!

Expand full comment
author

We're pretty excited too Sasharnie! Have you wishlisted their game on Steam like we suggest in the post?

Also in terms of individual character's helping tell a systems change story you might like the first episode in our SolarPunk Detective Series > https://www.solarpunkstories.com/buy-our-1st-story

Expand full comment

Here’s an idea: An MMORPG inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s World Game (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Game) where the goal is cooperative resource management as in Generation Exile. The subgoals would be world peace, keeping global warming below 1.5°, and eliminating poverty, while the roles would be data-driven diplomats. While I’m fairly sure that the idea goes against solarpunk’s decentralist, artsy ethos, I see no reason why it can’t be adapted to fit into the solarpunk movement

Expand full comment
author

Brilliant suggestion Jarrod! Have you seen the boardgame Daybreak? (https://www.daybreakgame.org/) It shares some of the aspects your suggesting of the Buckminster Fuller World Game. We're planning to do a post about it in the not too distant future.

PS - We did a deep-dive about different shades of solarpunk you might find interesting >(https://www.solarpunkstories.com/blog/what-is-solarpunk-one-thing-or-many)

We think that being a hardcore horizontalist or someone who can see a place for governmental action can both be solarpunk, it just depends on what shade you are. If you read our deep-dive it'd be great to hear your thoughts about it

Expand full comment

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I did hear about Daybreak via climate scientist Simon Clark’s YouTube channel, and I would love to buy it sometime.

As for your deep dive, I’ve also read it, and enjoyed it, and I think given its embrace of efficient design and advanced computer networks, the World Game would fit in perfectly with Metropolis, Now, and Rooted Solar. I’d even go as far as to suggest it be the default activity in theories such as Murray Bookchin’s municipal confederalism, though a world federal government wouldn’t be half bad either

Expand full comment
author

That’s great Jarrod. Daybreak is well worth playing. Thanks so much for reading our deep-dive and your relating it to the Buckminster Fuller World Game. Looking forward to more of your future comments

Expand full comment