Florian Wagner, Tabletop Ecologies: Eco-Analog Play and Planetary Futurity

12 February, 2026, 3:00-4:30pm

Geoffrey Manton Building, GM302

Environmental, ecological, and nature-themed board and tabletop games have skyrocketed in recent years. From climate change and global politics (Daybreak, Kyoto), increasing biodiversity (Wingspan, Mycology), balancing ecosystems (Cascadia, Earth), conservation efforts (Endangered, Ark Nova), hiking games centered on mindfulness and reverence for the natural world (Parks, Trailblazer: John Muir Trail), anti-colonial sentiments and Indigeneity (Spirit Island), to cooperative survival (Robinson Crusoe) and speculative futures (Solarpunk Futures, Earthborne Rangers), these games reflect a growing interest in addressing our planetary polycrisis. This talk will explore the generative and transformative potential of eco-board and tabletop games in shaping ecological thought and practices, reflecting on human and more-than-human entanglements, and promoting critical engagement with visions and questions of planetary habitability and futurity.

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Florian Wagner is a postdoctoral researcher. He is currently a member of staff at the Service Center InterNational Transfer at the University of Würzburg, where he focuses on integrating topics of sustainability and impact-oriented teaching into the curriculum across disciplines. He holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Jena, where he completed his M.A. in North American Studies in 2018 and was a research associate until 2023.