ROOT, Woodland Ideologies in a Fantasy Game

Abstract

In this paper I reconstruct and outline some realisations of different<br/>forest ideologies, through the analysis of the digital adaptation of<br/>the boardgame ROOT - A Game of Woodland Might and Right. In<br/>particular, I use a semiotic square to map the different semantic<br/>fields and core strategies of the four different factions of the game,<br/>each featuring a different way to engage with forests. The analysis<br/>allows me to identify some key ideologies that, embedded in the<br/>game, reflect larger conceptualisations of the relationship between<br/>humans and woodlands. In the conclusion, the paper highlights how<br/>games, encompassing both a rule structure and a narrative layer, can<br/>offer a vantage point for the analysis of ideological constructions.<br/>Future research could apply similar methods to other games in an<br/>attempt to map the many ways in which forestry spaces, and our<br/>relations with them, are constructed.