Gaia Theory

Through today's Group teaching session, although it was mainly a overview of our respective project idea and with large degree on how we're are going to fit our learning agreement to the project.

I've been giving a lot of thought towards how to write my learning agreement. The main idea which would be the game itself is a Survival game wherein in the far future a human faction is attempting colonize a hostile planet. The planet itself has no animal life but is in fact dominated by plants who impede the human aggressively, from releasing miasma's of hallucinogenic spores, cacti that explode like a nail bomb, and even advanced plant organisms that can moves while impaling humans upon tendrils just to start with. The purpose of the game is simply how long the player can survive against this onslaught. The plants also grow incredibly fast and quickly overrun an outpost in minutes if not pushed back in time. I will detailing this great on another post however.

The main issue regarding this basis for my project (Concept Art: Environment and Vehicle Design) Is that I don't want to lean onto the ecological argument of "man vs nature". While I cannot deny that the element is present. I want the game at an academic level to be an exploration into Gaia Theory headed by James Lovelock in late 1960 and early 1970's. The concept being that the Planet is a single organism. In effect its own entity and is self regulating. What I personally appreciate about this theory is that it challenges the argument on that due to Climate Change and Industrialization. That we as a species are destroying the planet. Which is something I've never agreed on personally. I believe that yes we are in effect destroying it for ourselves but nature would continue on. Come human extinction or exodus. This is a large reason I have a passion for Science Fiction. Especially when humanity is forced to choose in an ultimatum to settle other worlds due to our climate whether this is social (Over population, national exile, exploration) or to the afore mentioned point of that simply Earth can no longer sustain us ecologically.

Back to the idea of Gaia theory in relation to the project however. The basis for this planet in the game it is being its own organism the plants that grow on it are not exactly defenses in the analogy of them acting as white blood cells and human's are persistent virus but simply the planet as an organism seeks to overall absorb all foreign materials into itself to continue to propagate (disadvantage of this is that the humans will die). I did have the humerous idea that the planet once did support other forms of life but they have been long existent due the plants. The point I'm trying to bring across in laymans terms is "Is the planet doesn't give a shit." its not trying to existentially enlighten the "invaders" nor it trying to actively defend itself from them. It just is. That which cannot stand against it are simply absorbed. The colonists with appropriate defenses could establish a settlement planetside and live their contently, the planet wouldn't suffer from this what so ever in fact it'd adapt round it, the planet would likely tap into the colony one way or another and continue to utilize it.