scholarly journals Guidelines for the design of (educational) digital games on complex societal issues

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle-Denise Lux ◽  
André Czauderna ◽  
Emmanuel Guardiola ◽  
Alexandra Budke
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Educational Experience ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
City Development ◽  
Resource Conflicts ◽  
Societal Issues ◽  
Digital Entertainment ◽  
Game Industry

Designers of digital entertainment games and designers of games for education can learn from each other when it comes to gameplay mechanics, content and mediation techniques that enable a fun and at the same time educational experience for players. The following design guidelines bring together the perspectives of entertainment game industry and educators. Based on a range of studies, they present 11 recommendations to facilitate the design of games on complex social and socio-ecological issues such as climate change, migration, city development and resource conflicts – suitable for any designer who wants to provide an enriching game experience.

scholarly journals Games Versus Reality? How Game Designers Deal with Current Topics of Geography Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Joelle-Denise Lux ◽  
Alexandra Budke ◽  
Emmanuel Guardiola
Keyword(s):  
Geography Education ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
City Development ◽  
Sustainable City ◽  
Perceived Realism ◽  
Societal Issues ◽  
Opportunities For Learning ◽  
Educational Implications ◽  
Game Industry ◽  
Educational Potential

Digital entertainment games frequently address current societal issues that are also dealt with in geography education, such as climate change or sustainable city development, and give various opportunities for learning. However, in order to be fully able to determine the games’ educational potential and to instruct meaningful reflection on them in class, the designers’ approaches to realism regarding these topics need to be understood. Therefore, we have developed a model of realism in games and conducted 9 interviews with 10 experts from the entertainment game industry about their understanding of and dealing with realism concerning the represented geographical topics. In many cases, the interviewees’ approach to incorporating real-world issues can be regarded as beneficial for their games’ educational potential, and some designers even pursued learning goals. However, we also identified approaches that can result in questionable presentations of real societal issues. We found the most problematic one to be the prioritization of player expectations for the sake of perceived realism. This approach may lead to the depiction of stereotypes and common misconceptions. The results presented in our study may help teachers to prepare reflection on such misrepresentations in class, or designers to become more aware of the educational implications of different forms of game realism.

Promoting Elderly-Children Interaction in Digital Games: A Preliminary Set of Design Guidelines

2014 ◽  
pp. 169-176
Author(s):  
Ana I. Grimaldo ◽  
Alberto L. Morán ◽  
Eduardo Calvillo Gamez ◽  
Paul Cairns ◽  
Ramón R. Palacio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digital Games ◽  
Design Guidelines

scholarly journals Towards a Gerontoludic Manifesto

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob De Schutter ◽  
Vero Vanden Abeele
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Physical Limitations ◽  
Game Industry

Digital games have become an important part of the technoscape, not only for youngsters, but for players of all ages. Older adults are a large, currently still largely untapped market for innovative game research and development. However, the current discourse on games and ageing can largely be categorized into two themes. The first theme refers to digital games framed as a way for older adults to improve certain skills. The useful, pragmatic qualities, rather than the fun, hedonic aspects of games are emphasized. The second theme identifies the various age-related constraints that prevent older adults from playing. It focuses on the cognitive and physical limitations of older adults. Underlying both themes is a reductionist perspective on ageing as merely a process of decline and debilitation. In this article, we present a “gerontoludic” manifesto. Firstly, games should not be marketed solely as having the purpose of dealing with or mitigating age-related decline and focus on positive aspects of older age (adagio 1: growth over decline). Secondly, age-related adjustments should never interfere with the actual gameplay of the game (adagio 2: playfulness over usefulness). Finally, game researchers and game industry should put more efforts in understanding what differentiates elderly players, rather than seeing them as united in their age-related impairments (adagio 3: heterogeneity over unification). As this manifesto is a first step that needs further abutment by a wider community, we welcome debate and additions from game designers and researchers to further this manifesto and to move beyond ageism in games.  

Digital Games

2013 ◽  
pp. 253-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Pivec ◽  
Maja Pivec
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Constructivist Learning Theory ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Effective Learning Environments ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Collaborative Platform

Digital Games are becoming a new form of interactive content and game playing provides an interactive and collaborative platform for learning purposes. Collaborative learning allows participants to produce new ideas as well as to exchange information, simplify problems, and resolve the tasks. Context based collaborative learning method is based on constructivist learning theory and guides the design of the effective learning environments. The constructivist design required for successful Game-Based Learning is discussed in this chapter and the model of recursive learning is discussed suggesting how Game-Based Learning (GBL) and how to maximize its affect. This chapter defines “Gameplay” and tables the perceptions of both players and teachers in the area of abilities learnt from playing digital games. Resources for implementing GBL are highlighted and the need for these is discussed. We conclude this chapter with design guidelines that will ensure effective learning outcomes are attained and suggest why these steps are necessary.

Playing as Producing

2011 ◽  
pp. 311-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Chia H. Lin
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Game World ◽  
Game Industry ◽  
Game Players ◽  
Entertainment Products ◽  
Local Cultures

The main goal of this chapter is to explore the dynamics and interactions between foreign producers, media technologies, and local consumers in the process of globalization through a discussion of the localization of digital games. As digital games have become global entertainment products, the game industry has encountered various lingual and cultural challenges in the process. The content of digital games can be changed more easily and many game players are able to create objects or modify the game world to express their programming abilities or identities. The game industry takes advantage of digital technologies and player modding practices to overcome language and cultural barriers. Modding and other localization practices, such as translation and local packaging, imply the convergence of the global and the local cultures (i.e. glocalization) as well as the producers and consumers (i.e. prosumers).

scholarly journals The Effect of Climate Change Semantic Expressions on Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Decarbonisation

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Hussein Akil ◽  
Said Hussein ◽  
Leila E. Zein
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
The Other ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
Societal Issues ◽  
Communication Campaign ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Risk Perception And Communication ◽  
Social Level

This paper is proposed to clarify the effectiveness of semantic expressions used to designate climate change in France context, i.e. “réchauffement climatique” (“global warming”); “changement climatique” (“climate change”); and “derangement climatique” (“climate imbalance”). An experimental study (sample size N = 126) based on ‘linguistic semantics’ approach is conducted in order to assess the effect of these expressions on concerns, perceptions risk and sensitivity regarding Climate Change (CC). Our results show that the expression “réchauffement climatique” (“global warming”) is the most appropriate from a statistical standpoint. It increased the importance of the problem (salience of this issue) relative to other societal issues (e.g. unemployment, social justice, crime, etc.); it also enhanced participants' sensitivity (respondents' emotions associated with CC) more than the other expressions. We can still note however a strong difference in impact among the expressions if we were to calculate their impact on the basis of risk perception and communication objective. Results showed that when focusing our communication campaigns on nature, it would be preferable to use the term “changement” ("change"), when focusing our communication on social level, it would be preferable to use the term “réchauffement” ("warming"), whereas the term “dérèglement” ("imbalance") becomes the most suitable in seeking to build a communication campaign focusing on economic aspects. Semantics therefore should be selected depending on the communication objective.

scholarly journals Reviewing the links between climate change and resource conflict

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-152
Author(s):  
Abugu Nkechinyere Anthonia ◽  
Yero Ahmed Bello ◽  
Odele Muyiwa Oliatan ◽  
Irene Amahagbor Macaulay
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Resource Conflict ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Resource Conflicts ◽  
Change Climate ◽  
The Relationship

Knowledge of the relationship between climate change and resource conflict is paramount in resolving resource conflict between farmers and herdsmen in Nigeria. However, there is yet no general agreement on how climate change causes or influences resource conflict. Thus, a review of existing literature that link climate change and resource conflict was conducted for identification of the missing link. These were achieved through the review of literature published in the era of the recent global climate change from late 90s to date. Selections of papers were based on the topic and date of publication. Result showed that there is general agreement that climate change influence resource conflicts. Some of the authors agreed that climate change cannot cause resource conflict in isolation but through influences on other factors that affect resource availability, accessibility and utility. These factors are also influenced by policies and socio-cultural system. Thus, resource conflict may be a secondary or tertiary effect of climate change. Climate change solution is scares in literature that linked climate change and resource conflict. Thus, future studies should be focused on climate change solution to resource conflict. Keywords: Climate change, Resource conflict, Literature review, Famers

scholarly journals Persuasive Gaming in Context

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Research Traditions ◽  
Attitudes And Behaviors ◽  
Persuasive Games ◽  
Relevant Case ◽  
Game Industry ◽  
Ubiquitous Presence

The rapid developments of new communication technologies have facilitated the popularization of digital games, which has translated into an exponential growth of the game industry in the last decades. The ubiquitous presence of digital games has resulted in an expansion of the applications of these games from mere entertainment purposes to a great variety of serious purposes. In this edited volume, we narrow the scope of attention by focusing on what game theorist Ian Bogost has called "persuasive games", that is, gaming practices that combine the dissemination of information with attempts to engage players in particular attitudes and behaviors. This volume offers a multifaceted reflection on persuasive gaming, that is, on the process of these particular games being played by players. The purpose is to better understand when and how digital games can be used for persuasion, by further exploring persuasive games and some other kinds of persuasive playful interaction as well. The book critically integrates what has been accomplished in separate research traditions to offer a multidisciplinary approach to understanding persuasive gaming that is closely linked to developments in the industry by including the exploration of relevant case studies.

scholarly journals Framing agricultural policy through the EC’s strategies on CAP reforms (1992–2017)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karmen Erjavec ◽  
Emil Erjavec
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Common Agricultural Policy ◽  
Framing Analysis ◽  
Implementation Model ◽  
Societal Issues ◽  
The Past ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
The Common

AbstractThe periodic reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are announced each time by a strategic document in the form of a Communication by the European Commission (EC). The content of the last Communication differs from previous ones, which raises the questions of what frames the EC has employed with respect to its CAP reforms and how these frames have been modified over the past 26 years (from 1991 to 2017) in order to legitimise the preservation of the CAP. This paper tries to fill the gap in the research of frames in the main strategic documents on the CAP by employing comparative historical framing analysis. The results show consistent use of five frames: the policy mechanism frame, farmers’ economic frame, foreign trade frame, budgetary frame, and the societal concerns frame. While they have all remained in use, most have been changed significantly over the years. Throughout the analysed period, the farmers’ economic frame has retained its primacy and continuity, demonstrating the power of the farmers’ lobbies and conservative member states. If in the initial Communications the environment was barely present within the societal concerns frame, it has gained importance in the recent Communications, in addition to other general societal issues, such as climate change, food security and quality, health, digitalisation, innovation, and even migration. By marginalising the policy mechanism frame and replacing it with the implementation model and increasingly emphasising the societal concerns frame with social justifications of the CAP, the EC is trying to legitimise the CAP after 2021.

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