Thunderbird Strike
A video game protesting oil pipelines on Indigenous land.
Thunderbird Strike is a side-scrolling video game made by Elizabeth LaPensée. Players take on the role of Thunderbird, a creature from the mythology of certain North American Indigenous peoples, as it flies from the Alberta tar sands toward the Great Lakes. Along the way, the bird destroys oil industry equipment and infrastructure while trying to revive dead wildlife. LaPensée has said the game protests pipeline construction on Indigenous land, shares stories from her culture, and encourages players to care for Turtle Island. The game runs on Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS.
The game begins with a video showing dump trucks moving across the screen against a backdrop of factories releasing pollution. As Thunderbird, the player gathers lightning from clouds and uses it to disable oil industry infrastructure like dump trucks, factories, oil rigs, and pipelines. The art style, which LaPensée calls "woodland" or "x-ray," draws on Anishinaabe culture and connects breath, lightning, and energy. Videos between levels add context to the protest message. After the first level, a video shows people protesting pipeline construction on Indigenous lands. In the third level, a giant snake portrayed as a pipeline appears, and the player must destroy it with lightning. Following that level, another video shows animals returning after the pipeline snake is defeated. A later scene shows oil rigs turning into wind turbines, signaling support for renewable energy.
Indigenous communities have a long history of conflict with the oil industry, including the controversy over the Dakota Access Pipeline. Thunderbird Strike uses video games as a form of protest against this ongoing issue.
The game has drawn both support and criticism. The pipeline advocacy group Energy Builders criticized it, saying it was designed to encourage eco-terrorism. The game received funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, prompting Minnesota state senator David Osmek to call for an investigation into the $4,000 grant. Osmek said, “Minnesota taxpayers expect their money to be invested in Minnesota, not in funding an eco-terrorist version of Angry Birds.” The grant was allowed under the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the state constitution. Dr. Johannes M. Bauer, chair of the Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University, called
- Creator
- Elizabeth LaPensée
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, Android, iOS
- Genre
- Side-scrolling video game
- Theme
- Protest against oil industry on Indigenous land
- Award
- Best Digital Media Work at the 2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
- Funding
- Minnesota State Arts Board and Arrowhead Regional Arts Council
Lore & Background
The game has been met with both support and criticism. It was criticized by the pipeline advocacy group Energy Builders as having been designed to encourage eco-terrorism. Minnesota state senator David Osmek called for an investigation into the $4,000 funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board and Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, saying, 'Minnesota taxpayers expect their money to be invested in Minnesota, not in funding an eco-terrorist version of Angry Birds.' Dr. Johannes M. Bauer of Michigan State University considered the game 'a creative work of art that addresses some of the important issues of our time.' The game won the Best Digital Media Work award at the 2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
Reader's Guide
Thunderbird Strike matters as a digital protest artwork that uses video game mechanics to address the long history of struggles between Indigenous communities and the oil industry, such as the controversy surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline. By placing the player in the role of Thunderbird, a legendary creature, the game links Indigenous stories and symbols to current issues of public importance, as noted by Dr. Johannes M. Bauer. The game's funding controversy, including the call for investigation by Senator David Osmek, highlights tensions between artistic expression and political advocacy. Its award at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival underscores its recognition within Indigenous media arts. The game's design, with its woodland art style and levels that progress from destroying infrastructure to a symbolic victory over a pipeline snake, offers a form of protest through interactive media. The transition from oil rigs to wind turbines in the game's visuals reinforces a message of sustainable energy. The game's reception, including criticism from Energy Builders, reflects the polarized views on environmental protest. Overall, Thunderbird Strike serves as a case study in how video games can be used for cultural storytelling and political commentary, while also sparking debate about public funding for such works.
Did You Know?
- The game was created by Elizabeth LaPensée and is available for Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS.
- In the third level, the player must use lightning to destroy a giant animated snake portrayed as a pipeline.
- The game won the Best Digital Media Work award at the 2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
- Minnesota state senator David Osmek called for an investigation into the $4,000 funding for the game.
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