Can "Souls-like" Grit Save the Planet? Inside the Mind of Joost Vervoort

We’ve all been there: staring at a "You Died" screen for the fiftieth time, wondering why we put ourselves through the torture of a FromSoftware game. But what if that exact feeling—the stubborn refusal to quit—is the key to solving the climate crisis?

On this episode of Player Driven, we caught up with Joost Vervoort, an Associate Professor at Utrecht University who is blurring the lines between high-level political science and indie game development.

The "Imagination Factory"

Joost calls the games industry an "imagination factory." While traditional policy-making often feels stuck in a loop of red tape and disappearing funding, games have the power to help people imagine entirely new ways of living.

But Joost isn’t interested in "educational" games that feel like eating your vegetables. He wants games that are "wild, poetic, and a bit naughty."

Putting Billionaires on the Stand

His current project, All Will Rise, is a perfect example. Think Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney meets environmental activism. Set in a speculative version of South India, you lead a team of activists using deck-building mechanics to take down the corporations and billionaires destroying the local ecosystem.

The goal isn't just to win a virtual court case; it’s to build self-efficacy. Joost argues that if you can beat a game as difficult as Dark Souls or Silksong, you start to believe you can tackle the "messy complexity" of real-world politics.

Why AAA is Playing it Safe

One of the most eye-opening parts of our chat was the reality check on game publishing. Joost shared that many publishers are terrified of "narrative-heavy politics" because they fear being doxxed or attacked by streamers. It’s why projects like All Will Rise are turning to Kickstarter—they have to be "courageous" in a way the big studios simply aren't.

The 2026 Outlook

As Joost prepares to launch his Kickstarter and take his game into schools, he’s exploring even deeper themes: "Infrastructures of Mystery." He’s asking if games can provide a "sacred experience" in a world increasingly dominated by cold algorithms.