Climate Change Game Communication
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of climate change communication, specifically, how effective the game, Game of Floods, portrays the impact of coastal flooding to a general audience, namely university students, so participants are able to understand the implications and risks of climate change conditions, i.e. rising sea level resulting in coastal flooding. As a tabletop, role-playing game, Game of Floods, is currently used by resilience practitioners (including government and city officials) in train-the-trainer events across the nation. Participants are able to identify the key stakeholders involved in coastal resilience, the definition of risk defined by city planning officials, and the primary adaptation strategies a city can adopt to enhance coastal resilience and protect against flooding. In completing the usability testing at Old Dominion University, it is clear that from this single introduction to Game of Floods and its instructional powerpoint presentation, there is a major impact on the transfer of climate change knowledge from this educational medium to each participant. According to the results of the post-test survey, Game of Floods is able to effectively influence climate change communication to participants, thereby expanding its potential use as an educational tool to a wider audience.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Megan McKittrick
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Disciplines
Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Influence and Political Communication
Session Title
Communication & Literature
Location
Learning Commons @ Perry Library Conference Room 1311
Start Date
2-2-2019 10:15 AM
End Date
2-2-2019 11:15 AM
Climate Change Game Communication
Learning Commons @ Perry Library Conference Room 1311
The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of climate change communication, specifically, how effective the game, Game of Floods, portrays the impact of coastal flooding to a general audience, namely university students, so participants are able to understand the implications and risks of climate change conditions, i.e. rising sea level resulting in coastal flooding. As a tabletop, role-playing game, Game of Floods, is currently used by resilience practitioners (including government and city officials) in train-the-trainer events across the nation. Participants are able to identify the key stakeholders involved in coastal resilience, the definition of risk defined by city planning officials, and the primary adaptation strategies a city can adopt to enhance coastal resilience and protect against flooding. In completing the usability testing at Old Dominion University, it is clear that from this single introduction to Game of Floods and its instructional powerpoint presentation, there is a major impact on the transfer of climate change knowledge from this educational medium to each participant. According to the results of the post-test survey, Game of Floods is able to effectively influence climate change communication to participants, thereby expanding its potential use as an educational tool to a wider audience.