There’s a fantastic board game on this theme, for anyone interested in such things.
Players can only grow their plants or spread seeds in spaces that receive light. Plants obscure light, the bigger the plant, the bigger the shadow area. The sun moves around the board each turn.
All this means some very simple rules lead to some wonderfully complex emergent gameplay, where you’re trying to time actions against the sun’s movement to maximise light intake, while having to deal with other player’s actions unpredictably altering the patterns of shade.
Players can only grow their plants or spread seeds in spaces that receive light. Plants obscure light, the bigger the plant, the bigger the shadow area. The sun moves around the board each turn. All this means some very simple rules lead to some wonderfully complex emergent gameplay, where you’re trying to time actions against the sun’s movement to maximise light intake, while having to deal with other player’s actions unpredictably altering the patterns of shade.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/218603/photosynthesis