ROOT, Woodland Ideologies in a Fantasy Game

Abstract

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