Release Date: 11/05/2017
Played On: Win
Available On: Lin / Mac / Win
Time Played: 2h 48m
Progress: Completed Challenges & Some Sandbox (still playing)
Developer: Plethora-Project LLC
Publisher: Devolver DIgital
Anyone who was old enough to remember the 90s will probably know what I mean when I say that it was a very environmental decade. It was when we learned that recycling was a good way to minimise pollutants and unnecessary rubbish. We were told to "think globally, act locally", and we ushered in a new way of thinking that included a level of expected responsibility be taken for our impact on the planet.
In recent years, there seems to have been a bit of a shift in focus away from acting locally, as we realise there's irreparable damage done that needs a higher level of intervention. The environment made it back onto the front pages as climate change became an understood entity and once again reminded us that we have to care for our beloved planet if we want to continue enjoying its gift of life.
I have a particular fondness for anything that attempts to educate individuals on the importance of environmental responsibility. Maybe it's because my formative years were cemented in the 90s, or maybe it's because I was raised by a hippy and a scientist who I call mum and dad.
Whatever the reason, I get a real thrill out of finding a new way to help the environment and share it with others. Recently I was given some re-usable vegetable bags for the supermarket, so that I don't have to use disposable plastic bags anymore. In addition to my re-usable canvas bags, I'm now happily creating minimal waste every time I go to get some groceries, which puts a big old smile on my face.
So when I loaded up Block'hood after hearing that it was an educational environment focused city builder, I was keen to see what the hell that meant.
I guess the first thing is that Block'hood isn't really a city builder, as it's more of a neighbourhood builder. The scope doesn't involve creating a sprawling metropolis with interconnected utilities and zoning. Instead the focus of this game is on small spaces and verticality.
Space is another fascination of mine, so I played right into its hand again, as I love the pursuit of minimising wasted space and appreciating space for the sake of space. The nature of Block'hood is that you are encouraged to build on top of buildings and fill small spaces with as much, or as little, building as you see fit.
Each neighbourhood is built on a small plot of land that begins with limited natural resources. The goal is to create a successful hood that is self-sufficient and utilises supply chains to accomplish prosperity and environmental balance. Although, it's not strictly a tree hugging bent, as you're able to create pollution and other somewhat "unethical" elements that might help advance the neighbourhood quickly.
However, what I love about Block'hood and what convinced me it was a great game, was the gameplay system that will allow animals to flourish in clean environments. With the right amount of resources and land dedicated to open spaces, different species will move in and start to inhabit the area. As they prosper, more will move in to cohabit the space, eventually leading to a beautifully balanced ecosystem of life.
I guess a large part of the game is about building habitats for people, which require housing, work, entertainment, and all the utilities connected to them. Mechanically speaking, the game is about balancing numbers as everything has a required cost (input) and a provided benefit (output). Balancing all these inputs and outputs will create a harmonious neighbourhood that prospers.
Unfortunately for the poor humans though, resources often run out and prosperity is a difficult balance to manage. When things start to go bad everything decays and falls apart. At times it can be a tense experience to know that every part of a complex hood balances on a knife's edge and could come crashing down if one variable falters.
Unlike city builders that often have fool-proof ways of dealing with externalities like air and water pollution, Block'hood doesn't make it quite so easy. I've found that the only sure fire way to prosperity is to create a low impact hood that balances well with the environment and natural resources available. Every time I try and push the envelope a little and exploit the environment, things start to spiral out of control.
I don't know if it's by design, or if I'm just not very good at the game, but I like to think that the developers intended it to favour environmental responsibility. This is the kind of game that I can see being played in schools to teach kids about the interconnectivity of the world they live in. There's a great platform here for explaining how the world works and how everything we interact with relies on a supply chain that may or may not be harmful in the long term.
Similarly, there's something exciting about a game that includes some element of an ethical choice to be made beyond good and evil. We've all played games that focus on human choices of right or wrong, but experiencing a conundrum of high or low impact sends a different message.
Of course the game is a contrived version of the real world, but I think that's a good way to get a point across. By using the obfuscation of these environmental systems to make a point, we can take that abstract lesson back to reality and apply it accordingly. It leaves us open to make informed decisions in creative ways that will hopefully benefit us all on a global scale.
I appreciate that Block'hood pushes all the right buttons for me when it comes to an environmental message, but I think it's an interesting game in its own right.
You don't have to be a passionate environmentalist to enjoy building complex neighbourhoods until they come crashing down. You don't have to be a tree hugger to nurture a natural paradise into existence and take joy in the interconnected species that flourish there.