Time to Suit Up Against Cynicism in Clean Up Earth

I feel very fortunate that Clean Up Earth's developer, Magic Pockets, offered a review code for their Early Access release, after I praised the demo in SUPERJUMP's Hidden Gems column. Luckily, that meant I could start playing just as Earth Day rolled around in the States!

Clean Up Earth blends the self-care of video game catharsis with action and words. Shame doesn't save the planet - community does - but educating people about the dangers of pollution helps. Caring has to come first, though, and care needs to be positive. Thankfully, the game collaborates with real-life charities to support tree regrowth and coral reef protection. You can choose a charity when designing your character once you figure out where to scroll.

Clean Up Earth

Earth has become a garbage planet; we're not at Wall-E or Deponia levels, but we are pretty close. Thankfully, scientists in the future have developed the necessary tech: they're sending volunteers like our player character into the past with Ghostbuster-like suction equipment. We can pay for upgrades by turning in garbage at designated workstations and receiving coins. 

Each level requires different suction nozzles for varying types of garbage. Some bottles and trash bags glow due to nuclear radiation; others lie beneath the soil and require a bit more excavation. You need to switch nozzles and know which keys to press. I'm a keyboard warrior, so I freely admit I didn't use a controller.

It took some trial and error to find all the garbage in the first level after completing several tutorials. I appreciate the mild difficulty that didn't completely stump me; having a sensor alert me to when I missed garbage helped a lot. 

The game has a few kinks to work out, as do most Early Access releases. Still, the fairly detailed tutorial provided opportunities for intuition, so I didn’t have to look up a guide. I can also see why the developers recommend using a controller and not a keyboard; I had to fiddle with the controls to access my inventory and review the required crafting items for raw construction materials. 

The Cost Of Fictional Capitalism

Perfect ethical consumption doesn't exist; we can only try our best as consumers when assessing supply chains. That doesn't mean we give up, but we can find other ways to make the exchange of goods and services less murky. Games and other media can show an alternative method or possibility. We don’t need to conform to current capitalism in a pixelated world. 

Waste management is one of those processes that could use improvement, especially with the pandemic disrupting renewable resource industries. Clean Up Earth shows a possibility that doesn't risk a torment nexus; if scientists wanted to invent efficient cleanup nozzles with short learning curves, I would support that. 

We also have to manage fundamental selfishness from the few uber-rich. Part of the game's story is that humans used time travel for waste disposal. I sighed while playing and thought, of course. Of course. Because when we humans discover something new that could benefit people, capitalism and greedy individuals ruin it. Why not use time travel to turn past wonders into landfills and nuclear waste sites? Linear time travel would ensure that such a plan would collapse in the long run. 

The World Needs Less Cynicism in the Face of Capitalist Oblivion

2026 is a year for cynics. People in real life have shown me they don't care about minorities or their own safety if it means justifying their hate. Those who have avoided repeating racist and transphobic talking points insist on clinging to the doomer mentality: “Change the world before you change yourself”. When we make the effort to change the world, however, we do change ourselves. The little actions, as shown in Clean Up Earth, can make all the difference. 

Don’t be a doomer or a gloomer. Mourn if you need, and process trauma. If you can, work with that sadness after a healthy amount of wallowing. Pick up that game controller and read about technological victories like the River Seine in Paris having a healthy fish population. And if you’re doing a real-life cleanup, wear protective rubber gloves and close-toed shoes. 

We've had many debates about what it means to do good versus being good. Actions speak louder than words, but sometimes words are all we have. Volunteer and activist burnout is also very real. By fusing gameplay with activism, Clean Up Earth demonstrates a potentially exponential benefit of playing and finding other ways to do good. I want more games to follow this example, showing we are not powerless or hateful. Kindness can be a tool that benefits everyone in the right hands.