Gardening in this context offers a place of stillness and reflection. Even when the player does nothing, the world of Viridi still feels present, as time continues to pass. The plants continue to grow and the snail continues to circle the pot. When playing Viridi, both the player and the machine exist in a relaxing state where there is no challenge or conflict. Viridi is a soothing and relaxing experience - an ambient place you can return to for a moment of peace and tranquility. This game embraces the care and patience of the player, and I personally leave it open in a separate window on my desktop so that I can watch the snail crawl along and listen to the twinkling music. Instead, the player is invited to pot and care for seeds, which grow into colorful succulents over time. In it, there is no story, characters, goals, or missions.
#Garden story game succulents simulator
These ideas are explored in the succulent-growing simulator Viridi developed by Ice Water Games. It’s the act of humility and care that improves both the garden and the gardener. Walking through a beautiful landscape, pausing to listen to music, or taking the time to nurture and care for plants all hold quiet and humble experiences. It is in these moments that a great deal of emotion and meaning can grow. In relaxing play, the action and re-action loop is slowed down, and the rhythms of the game and the player are set at a sedate pace. Although this is most obvious during exciting and intense sequences, I think that this idea can also be applied to relaxing and ambient play. They are attuned to the game’s high-intensity gameplay. can all contribute toward keeping the player captivated.
Using first-person shooters as an example, running around, shooting enemies, dodging, etc. It definitely sounds odd talking about patience in relation to gameplay, but gardening games do rely on the patience of the player.Ī majority of video games have a constant feedback loop - this action and re-action tends to happen quickly so that the game stays interesting and keeps the player’s attention.
The want for a quick reward comes from a place of consumption instead of care.
To expect immediate gratification is to miss the point of gardening. Waiting for something to grow and bloom after nurturing it for days (or weeks) is a slow and diligent process. When gardening, there is one quality that is of the utmost importance: patience. So, what influence does the act of virtual gardening have on the player? Some might consider relaxing activities mundane, but there is much to learn from these slow, meaningful styles of play. Video games have the potential to conjure up vast and unique emotions within a player, and I think the ambient and thoughtful process of gardening makes its own contribution toward this. “Gardening is not just a pleasant thing to do on a Saturday afternoon, or a way to reduce one’s supermarket bill - gardening is a human activity that engages with core philosophical questions concerning, among other things, human well-being, wisdom, the nature of time, political power and ideals, home, aesthetic experience, metaphysics, and religion.”Įven though gardening is used very rarely as a game mechanic, I’ve found it to be a relaxing and reflective process. In the book Gardening – Philosophy for Everyone: Cultivating Wisdom, Dan O’Brien explains: The themes and ideas behind gardening can add so much more depth to a narrative or, in the case of video games, meaning within the player. Planting the seeds, watering them, watching out for that first little sprout and then seeing it grow.
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