Learning about refugee life with educational video games

[EN] In recent years, scholarly investigations have yielded the consensus that video games possess multifaceted attributes that extend beyond their conventional perception as mere sources of leisure, diversion, and entertainment. The immersive nature of video games has led to increased interest in t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Shliakhovchuk, Olena
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/202785
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/202785
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Video games
Refugee crises
Impact of video games
Game-based learning
Educational technologies
Non-formal education
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spelling Learning about refugee life with educational video gamesShliakhovchuk, OlenaVideo gamesRefugee crisesImpact of video gamesGame-based learningEducational technologiesNon-formal education[EN] In recent years, scholarly investigations have yielded the consensus that video games possess multifaceted attributes that extend beyond their conventional perception as mere sources of leisure, diversion, and entertainment. The immersive nature of video games has led to increased interest in their use as platforms for engaging in discourses across a diverse array of subject matters with the potential to reach a wider audience and generate meaningful impact. Combined with the sense of presence and ownership that allows players to be placed in the shoes of characters grappling with social or political issues, video games are converting into an effective and accessible tool for learning and engagement with pressing cultural, social and political issues. Current research aims to understand better the potential of educational video games to address these pressing problems, in this case, the refugee crisis, to evoke empathy and raise awareness by looking at the problem 'behind the scenes' with an audience that initially was not interested in the topic. This qualitative study (N=78) employed the narrative research method to examine experiential participatory learning with participants playing the educational video game Against All Odds developed by UNHCR. By immersing players in this virtual experience, this game was created to educate and encourage a greater understanding of the realities faced by refugees, the complexity, and dangers of the refugee experience, as well as the reasons behind their displacement. The promising results of the research show that a video game can address serious social issues by creating a simplified but still dynamic scale model of refugee reality. Participants reported an enjoyable gaming experience, newfound interest in the issue at hand, increased empathy toward refugees, and motivation to help people in need. The study illustrates that by putting players in the shoes of struggling characters, video games could make learning about these topics more engaging and, as a result, more accessible and appealing to a wider audience, including non-gamers and people previously disinterested in the topic. These results invite educators, researchers, and scholars from the fields of education, game studies, social sciences, and cultural studies to explore the potential of video games as a possible tool for engaging students, addressing social issues, raising awareness, and fostering empathy. The article also identifies several prospective domains for future research.Instytut Informatsiinykh Tekhnolohii i Zasobiv NavchannyaRepositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politècnica de València Riunet20232023-01-01journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/202785reponame:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valénciainstname:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Reconocimiento - No comercial - Compartir igual (by-nc-sa) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:riunet.upv.es:10251/2027852026-06-13T07:49:27Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Learning about refugee life with educational video games
title Learning about refugee life with educational video games
spellingShingle Learning about refugee life with educational video games
Shliakhovchuk, Olena
Video games
Refugee crises
Impact of video games
Game-based learning
Educational technologies
Non-formal education
title_short Learning about refugee life with educational video games
title_full Learning about refugee life with educational video games
title_fullStr Learning about refugee life with educational video games
title_full_unstemmed Learning about refugee life with educational video games
title_sort Learning about refugee life with educational video games
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Shliakhovchuk, Olena
author Shliakhovchuk, Olena
author_facet Shliakhovchuk, Olena
author_role author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politècnica de València Riunet
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Video games
Refugee crises
Impact of video games
Game-based learning
Educational technologies
Non-formal education
topic Video games
Refugee crises
Impact of video games
Game-based learning
Educational technologies
Non-formal education
description [EN] In recent years, scholarly investigations have yielded the consensus that video games possess multifaceted attributes that extend beyond their conventional perception as mere sources of leisure, diversion, and entertainment. The immersive nature of video games has led to increased interest in their use as platforms for engaging in discourses across a diverse array of subject matters with the potential to reach a wider audience and generate meaningful impact. Combined with the sense of presence and ownership that allows players to be placed in the shoes of characters grappling with social or political issues, video games are converting into an effective and accessible tool for learning and engagement with pressing cultural, social and political issues. Current research aims to understand better the potential of educational video games to address these pressing problems, in this case, the refugee crisis, to evoke empathy and raise awareness by looking at the problem 'behind the scenes' with an audience that initially was not interested in the topic. This qualitative study (N=78) employed the narrative research method to examine experiential participatory learning with participants playing the educational video game Against All Odds developed by UNHCR. By immersing players in this virtual experience, this game was created to educate and encourage a greater understanding of the realities faced by refugees, the complexity, and dangers of the refugee experience, as well as the reasons behind their displacement. The promising results of the research show that a video game can address serious social issues by creating a simplified but still dynamic scale model of refugee reality. Participants reported an enjoyable gaming experience, newfound interest in the issue at hand, increased empathy toward refugees, and motivation to help people in need. The study illustrates that by putting players in the shoes of struggling characters, video games could make learning about these topics more engaging and, as a result, more accessible and appealing to a wider audience, including non-gamers and people previously disinterested in the topic. These results invite educators, researchers, and scholars from the fields of education, game studies, social sciences, and cultural studies to explore the potential of video games as a possible tool for engaging students, addressing social issues, raising awareness, and fostering empathy. The article also identifies several prospective domains for future research.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023
2023-01-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
VoR
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/202785
url https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/202785
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Compartir igual (by-nc-sa)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Compartir igual (by-nc-sa)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Instytut Informatsiinykh Tekhnolohii i Zasobiv Navchannya
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Instytut Informatsiinykh Tekhnolohii i Zasobiv Navchannya
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
instname:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
instname_str Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
reponame_str RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
collection RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15.301629

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