Narratives of environmental crisis in chrono cross: settler colonialism, interspecies conflicts and environmental injustice

colonialismo, conflicto inter especies e injusticia ambiental

Abstract

This article examines narratives of environmental injustice through representations of settler colonialism and resource exploitation in the digital game Chrono Cross, as a case study to demonstrate how narratives of environmental crisis can be mobilized by developers to raise awareness on how resource exploitation can be impactful in a manifold of ways, from species extinction to violation of Indigenous peoples. Additionally, this study explores how game mechanics – specifically those related to inter-species conflicts and resource gathering – mobilize readings that are inconsistent with the environmental narrative intended by the game. To achieve this, we used transcripts of the original characters’ dialogues as well as our own gameplay. We conclude that the game has a narrative dissonance between it’s environmental discourse and its mechanics.