Communicating Ecological Memory through the Design of Eco-Narratives: An Analysis of Animal Perspectives in Digital Games

The global ecological crisis has led to the prominence of environmental themes and narrative forms based on the animal point of view in digital games. This study analyzes the role of eco-narratives in the production of empathy, ethical sensitivity, and ecological memory by examining Endling: Extinction is Forever and Shelter. Through the evaluation of nearly 30,000 Steam user comments using natural language processing (NLP) and thematic analysis methods. It was determined that Endling creates "instructive empathy" by emphasizing themes of hope and awareness, while Shelter intensely triggers a sense of "ecological mourning" through loss and vulnerability. In both games, players strongly adopted silent and environmental storytelling strategies. The findings suggest that animal-centered digital narratives function as an emotionally effective, aesthetic, and communicative tool for raising environmental awareness; players strongly adopted silent and environmental storytelling strategies.