Degrowth Game Design Project

The Degrowth Game Design Project (DeGDP) is an interdisciplinary, multi-campus research-creation consortium dedicated to exploring the socioeconomic philosophy of degrowth through the medium of video games. By treating game design as a form of critical inquiry, the project seeks to dismantle the traditional ludic paradigm of infinite accumulation and resource extraction. The consortium operates as a decentralized academic cluster, bridging the environmental humanities with systems modeling and game development.

Research and Methodology

The DeGDP functions as a pedagogical and design apparatus, utilizing the practice of critical modding—the intentional alteration of commercial software to subvert its original intent. The project argues that because most video games serve as microcosms of the global capitalist growth paradigm, re-engineering these digital environments allows researchers and players to model post-growth societal structures. Key methodologies include:

• Critical Making: Bridging theoretical conceptualization with practical software modification and narrative design.
• Relational Mechanics: Shifting game economies from transactional, capital-driven loops to systems based on care, commoning, and social deduction.
• Eco-Catastrophe Modeling: Implementing incremental environmental degradation mechanics to demonstrate the impossibility of infinite growth on a finite landscape.

Flagship Initiative: Stardew Valley: Big Ag

The project's primary focus is a total overhaul modification of the agricultural life-simulator Stardew Valley. Tentatively titled Stardew Valley: Big Ag, this initiative replaces the base game's incentives for industrial expansion with mechanics that reward sufficiency and restraint. The modification forces players to navigate ecological fallout, shifting the core gameplay loop from wealth accumulation to community resilience and environmental maintenance.

Institutional Affiliations

The DeGDP is supported by a tripartite academic structure, leveraging resources from:

• University of Chicago: Hub for pedagogical operations, including the College Summer Institute's Environmental Futures Through Critical Game Design program.
• University of Toronto-Mississauga: Center for game studies, systems modeling, and digital humanities research.
• University of Basel: International partner expanding the project's reach into global science and technology studies networks.