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Dialogue through Play: Games as a Bridge for Citizen Engagement

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Title: Dialogue through Play: Games as a Bridge for Citizen Engagement
Language: English
Authors: Rebecca Harris, Paul Hollins, Anchal Garg (ORCID 0000-0002-4937-3241), Pradeep Hewage, Paul Watson, Celestine Iwendi, Jude Ower, Joost Schuur
Source: Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 2026 42(3).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Computer Games, Climate, Policy, Citizen Participation, Surveys
DOI: 10.1002/jcal.70236
ISSN: 0266-4909
1365-2729
Abstract: Background: Digital games are increasingly used as tools for civic and societal engagement, particularly to reach younger and digitally literate publics on complex issues such as climate change. While such approaches can facilitate large-scale participation and raise awareness, their capacity to support deliberative forms of civic engagement within real-world policy contexts remains insufficiently examined. Objectives: This study examines whether and how survey-based engagement embedded within a commercial digital game can move beyond surface-level participation towards forms of engagement relevant to policy deliberation. Methods: The paper reports on an exploratory case study (GCS1) conducted within the GREAT project, in which a multiple-choice climate policy survey was embedded into a commercial multiplayer game. The design prioritised scale and accessibility over deliberative depth, enabling large-scale, anonymous data collection from a predominantly young and digitally literate population. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to examine patterns of engagement and policy preferences across demographic groups. Results and Conclusions: The embedded survey achieved high levels of participation, demonstrating the feasibility of game-based data collection at scale and the potential of games to introduce climate policy issues to digitally engaged publics. However, expressed engagement and policy preferences did not provide evidence of deliberative reasoning, reflecting constraints associated with survey design, platform demographics and the absence of reflective or dialogic mechanisms. Game-based surveys are therefore best understood as complementary entry points for civic engagement rather than standalone tools for democratic deliberation, highlighting the need to integrate games within broader deliberative and institutional frameworks.
Abstractor: As Provided
Notes: https://zenodo.org/communities/101094766/records?q=&l=list&p=1&s=10&sort=newest
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1506834
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Dialogue through Play: Games as a Bridge for Citizen Engagement
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rebecca+Harris%22">Rebecca Harris</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Paul+Hollins%22">Paul Hollins</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anchal+Garg%22">Anchal Garg</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4937-3241">0000-0002-4937-3241</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pradeep+Hewage%22">Pradeep Hewage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Paul+Watson%22">Paul Watson</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Celestine+Iwendi%22">Celestine Iwendi</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jude+Ower%22">Jude Ower</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Joost+Schuur%22">Joost Schuur</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Computer+Assisted+Learning%22"><i>Journal of Computer Assisted Learning</i></searchLink>. 2026 42(3).
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 10
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+Games%22">Computer Games</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Climate%22">Climate</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Policy%22">Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Citizen+Participation%22">Citizen Participation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Surveys%22">Surveys</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1002/jcal.70236
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  Data: 0266-4909<br />1365-2729
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  Data: Background: Digital games are increasingly used as tools for civic and societal engagement, particularly to reach younger and digitally literate publics on complex issues such as climate change. While such approaches can facilitate large-scale participation and raise awareness, their capacity to support deliberative forms of civic engagement within real-world policy contexts remains insufficiently examined. Objectives: This study examines whether and how survey-based engagement embedded within a commercial digital game can move beyond surface-level participation towards forms of engagement relevant to policy deliberation. Methods: The paper reports on an exploratory case study (GCS1) conducted within the GREAT project, in which a multiple-choice climate policy survey was embedded into a commercial multiplayer game. The design prioritised scale and accessibility over deliberative depth, enabling large-scale, anonymous data collection from a predominantly young and digitally literate population. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to examine patterns of engagement and policy preferences across demographic groups. Results and Conclusions: The embedded survey achieved high levels of participation, demonstrating the feasibility of game-based data collection at scale and the potential of games to introduce climate policy issues to digitally engaged publics. However, expressed engagement and policy preferences did not provide evidence of deliberative reasoning, reflecting constraints associated with survey design, platform demographics and the absence of reflective or dialogic mechanisms. Game-based surveys are therefore best understood as complementary entry points for civic engagement rather than standalone tools for democratic deliberation, highlighting the need to integrate games within broader deliberative and institutional frameworks.
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  Label: Abstractor
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  Data: As Provided
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