Exploring more‐than‐human ethics and the digital dimensions of nature recovery through an interactive fiction game

This perspective piece considers how a more‐than‐human approach to ethics can foster nuanced, critical understandings of the digital dimensions of nature recovery. A more‐than‐human approach expands on who or what is included as ethical actors while focusing on the interconnectedness of human and nonhuman experiences. First, we discuss what more‐than‐human ethics involve, the opportunities they provide for analysis and practice, as well as what limitations in dominant approaches to nature recovery they can help address. Then, we present a web‐based interactive fiction game called Ethemblage, which we created to help students, researchers and practitioners learn about more‐than‐human thinking in nature recovery work and education, with particular focus on the ethics and impacts of technology. We explain how the game's design and stories emphasize ethical considerations that emerge with and from connections between technology, humans and the rest of nature. Overall, we highlight how more‐than‐human ethics are crucial for nature recovery and we encourage others to teach and learn about these approaches through forms of creative engagement, such as interactive games. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.