Gaming for Social Change

Persuasive games have the potential to change their players' attitude towards a political or social issue in a more effective way than other media platforms. The interactive nature of a game provides a unique possibility to influence its players and contribute to social change. However, empirical research in the field is still rare and studies involving a direct comparison with another medium are even more limited. The present study presents empirical findings on the persuasive game Against All Odds, developed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and draws a comparison with the VICE documentary Europe or Die to provide data examining the effects of two media platforms regarding attitude change towards migration and refugees. With uses and gratifications theory as well as identification as guiding concepts, this paper examined the factors leading to enjoyment and resulting in attitude change after playing Against All Odds and compared the results to the second group of participants who were invited to watch the documentary instead. Through semi-structured individual interviews the participants' perception of the medium and attitude towards migration and refugees was analyzed in relation the game and the documentary. The results of the two groups were then compared to identify commons and differences regarding enjoyment and attitude change after the experience with the medium. The results indicate that the interactive feature of the game and the personal perspective provided through an avatar had an impact on both game enjoyment and attitude change that differ from the effects of watching the documentary. Participants playing the game were more likely to take on a personal perspective when talking about the issue and more often reported understanding for the refugees, while participants watching the documentary were more likely to address migration as a general topic rather than talk about the individual refugees While some participants perceived a lack of challenge in the game, most players found at least one aspect that was enjoyable for them, most frequently information-seeking and decision-making. Social facilitation and a reflection on the participants' personal behavior and attitude surfaced in both groups, whereas social facilitation was more common after watching the documentary. The implications of these results are discussed for future scientific research and the game industry.