behind the scenes

Biome Evolver – Ubuntu to The World!

Biome Evolver is a climate justice strategy game created by game designer Melubuhle Gula-Ndebele, writer and researcher Philadelphia Makwakwa, writer and artist Aneeqa Martinson, and early-stage game development and design contributor Mamello Raboroko. In the game, 2-6 players restore South African biomes using traditional knowledge and Ubuntu principles. Players cannot win alone – victory requires balancing environmental health, social equity, and economic sustainability across the entire community.

What makes this game special is its foundation on the following principles:

• Ubuntu Philosophy at its Core: “I am because we are” drives every mechanic – players must collaborate to win.
• Authentic Traditional Knowledge: Recipe cards are based on real indigenous practices like rooibos harvesting and traditional fire management
• Climate Justice Focus: Events affect players differently and are based on resource equity, mirroring real-world climate impacts.
• Collaborative Victory: ONLY the most balanced player across equity, economy, and ecology wins.

Members of the Biome Evolver team

To play the game, players restore degraded South African biomes through sustainable building projects. When climate disasters strike, players must choose whether to help the other struggling players share resources during crises to earn strategic bonuses. The game teaches that environmental sustainability and social equity aren’t competing priorities, but interconnected necessities.

The foremost game principle is Ubuntu, a South African principle and philosophy governing one’s interaction with humanity, emphasising the interconnectedness of individuals with their surrounding societal and physical worlds. Loosely translated, “Ubuntu” means “I am because we are”. Ubuntu is best known outside of Africa as a humanist philosophy associated with Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (born 193- 2021). Another interpretation of Ubuntu is correct behaviour, but correct in this sense is defined by a person’s relationship with other people.

Philadelphia says, “Social structures informed most parts of the game, like the eldest starts the game (informed by cultural knowledge/ubuntu cards, as a sign of respect given to elders)”. She further explains that through developing the game, the team also challenged existing norms on bartering, the use of waste as resources through the development of the biomes, and examined a lot of systems on how society develops justice for climate change through the creation of the game.

Playtesting the Biome Evolver game

The game is very much centred on finding climate justice solutions within the South African context. “The whole game is based around the idea of critical play as we wanted to have people thinking about the injustice that happens in day-to-day life, especially within South Africa and the Global South in our context”. Melubuhle says they wanted to highlight the mechanics that subconsciously lead to a player’s choices, and thus simulates something of the real world in this day and age. “Even if they may be practices from hundreds of years ago, they are very relevant in climate justice and climate change right now, and how incorporating more of these indigenous practices that also account for land conservation is beneficial to the world at large”.

The team believe it’s vital the Global South is involved in the climate justice conversation because it’s the region that is severely affected. Hence, the team focused on South Africa in this game. They argue that the Global South constitutes a majority of cases of climate injustice; however, its exclusion from the climate justice conversation is very apparent. “Especially looking at how more underprivileged communities and settlements [in South Africa] end up getting affected by climate justice and their voices that are not heard, particularly women’s voices in climate justice, as the Global South has a high number of affected women,” says Melubuhle.

Though the Mzansi Climate Justice Game Jam this team joined together and unearthed some critical aspects of climate justice for South Africa. Yet the future conversations and further steps for game development is still murky. “As a team we have not discussed future plans; however, as an individual, I wish to see the game in at least one vernacular language, to be tested and played by those living in affected biomes to get insights on how to further develop the game,” says Philadelphia.

Download the print-to-play files for Biome Evolver here.