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First published online February 1, 2017

Analyzing Climate Change Communication Through Online Games: Development and Application of Validated Criteria

Tania Ouariachi [email protected], María Dolores Olvera-Lobo, and José Gutiérrez-PérezView all authors and affiliations
Volume 39, Issue 1
https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547016687998

Abstract

In search of innovative approaches capable of connecting climate change issues with teenagers, scholars and practitioners have become interested in harnessing the potential of gaming for advancing climate change communication. This article aims to propose a set of criteria, validated by experts through the Delphi method, by which to analyze communicative features of online climate change games. The use of the criteria is illustrated with an evaluation of a sample of Spanish games to which we apply qualitative content analysis, narratology, and ludology techniques. Our findings reveal some positive communicative trends in terms of narratives, contents, and gameplay.

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Biographies

Tania Ouariachi is a doctoral student in the Department of Information and Communication at the University of Granada in Spain. She belongs to the Research Group “Scientific Information: Access and Evaluation”. Her research focuses on video games and climate change educommunication. She has experience working as a journalist and as a communication specialist for scientific institutions.
María Dolores Olvera-Lobo (PhD) is a professor in the Department of Information and Communication and the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Granada in Spain. She is Director of the Research Group “Scientific Information: Access and Evaluation” and belongs to CSIC–Unidad Asociada Grupo SCImago. Her research interests are information retrieval, information science, new technologies, and gamification.
José Gutiérrez-Pérez (PhD) is a professor in the Department of Educational Methodology at the University of Granada in Spain. He is Director of the Research Group “Evaluation in Environmental, Social and Institutional Education” and Head of Institutional Evaluation and Accreditation of the Andalusian Agency Knowledge. Current research interests are environmental education, gaming evaluation methods, and climate change perceptions.

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Published In

Volume 39, Issue 1
Pages: 10 - 44
Article first published online: February 1, 2017
Issue published: February 2017

Keywords

  1. climate change
  2. youth
  3. online games
  4. audiovisual communication
  5. qualitative analysis

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History

Published online: February 1, 2017
Issue published: February 2017

Authors

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Tania Ouariachi
Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
[email protected]
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María Dolores Olvera-Lobo
Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
CSIC–Unidad Asociada Grupo SCImago, Madrid, Spain
View all articles by this author
José Gutiérrez-Pérez
Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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Notes

Tania Ouariachi, Universidad de Granada, Department of Information and Communication, Campus Cartuja, Colegio Máximo s/n C.P. 18071, Granada, Spain. Email: [email protected]

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