Posthumanist, Post-apocalyptic, and Post-anthropocentric Possibilities: Kantian Morals and Posthuman Ethics in My Friend is a Raven

The 2019 game My Friend is a Raven serves as a critical site for examining the transition from traditional humanist morality to a posthumanist ethic within post-apocalyptic digital environments. By contrasting anthropocentric frameworks with post-anthropocentric perspectives, the game functions as a morality play that challenges the player’s sense of rational autonomy. Through its narrative structure and multiple endings, the experience forces an evaluation of how human agency interacts with non-human entities, ultimately questioning the validity of individualistic control in a world defined by environmental collapse.

The core of this analysis centers on the material-discursive entanglements created through gameplay mechanics, such as the gathering of items to unlock specific narrative outcomes. These interactions demonstrate that player agency is not an isolated phenomenon but a process of becoming-with the environment. While certain choices reflect a traditional Kantian disregard for the non-human, others foster an ethics of care and interdependence. The most significant findings suggest that the game’s "good" ending represents a departure from human-centric dominance, instead prioritizing a recognition of mutual vulnerability between the human subject and the non-human other.

By situating these findings within the broader field of game studies, the analysis highlights how interactive media can effectively critique normative human behavior. The game acts as a laboratory for exploring sustainable ways of existing, moving beyond the limitations of humanism to embrace a posthumanist subjectivity. Ultimately, the study concludes that digital environments are essential tools for reimagining moral frameworks, as they allow players to actively participate in the construction of new, post-anthropocentric ethics that acknowledge the deep, inextricable connections between all living entities in a post-apocalyptic context.