Cultural literacy acquisition through video game environments of a digitally born generation A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor in Communication and Cultural Industries at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) Autor: Olena Shliakhovchuk Supervisors: María Fernanda Peset Mancebo Adolfo Muñoz García July 2019 Acknowledgements This thesis would not be possible without the help, encouragement and support of my supervisors who challenged my arguments, fed my curiosity and offered me inspiring concepts and ideas. I need to express my thanks to the participants of the experiments of the research for trusting me and helping me to test my hypotheses. Special thanks need to be given to the respondents of the survey for providing such exciting and stimulating answers. My heartfelt gratitude to my friends for their sincere interest in the topic of this thesis and for encouraging me to bravely press on in my times of doubt. My deepest thanks to my family, without your encouragement, as well as emotional and financial support, I would not have completed this thesis. Sincere thanks go to my better half whose unconditional love and support kept me going through endless writing days. I have got this far because you were behind me all the time. ii Contents Part I: Cultural literacy as a twenty-first century skill in video games research ....................... 1 Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Digitally born generation ........................................................................................ 3 1.2 Research questions and objectives .......................................................................... 4 1.3. Methodology ........................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Structure .................................................................................................................. 9 1.5. My thesis related work ......................................................................................... 11 Chapter Two: Cultural literacy in a volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity world13 2.1. The concept of Cultural literacy in the XX and XXI centuries ............................ 15 2.2. The updated model of cultural literacy ................................................................. 29 2.3. Summary of the Chapter Two .............................................................................. 32 Chapter Three: A brief history of research on video games’ impact on players . ................ 34 3.1 The beginning of research on video games’ impact on players ........................... 35 3.2. Demonising video games...................................................................................... 37 3.3. Praising video games ............................................................................................ 52 3.4. Summary of Chapter Three .................................................................................. 66 Chapter Four: Intercultural perspective on impact and outcomes of video games. ............. 67 4.1. Data analysis ......................................................................................................... 68 4.2. Discussion of video games’ impact and outcome from the intercultural perspective ................................................................................................................................................. 77 4.3. Summary of Chapter Four .................................................................................... 78 Part II: Experimental findings ................................................................................................. 80 Chapter Five: “Empathy Video Games” as Awareness Raisers, Attitude Changers and Agents of Social Change ...................................................................................................................... 80 5.1. Study 1 .................................................................................................................. 82 5.2. Study 2 .................................................................................................................. 95 5.3. Discussion of results of Study 1 and Study 2 ..................................................... 104 5.4. Summary of Chapter Five .................................................................................. 105 iii Chapter Six: Gen Z’ video game preferences and learning outcomes. Towards designing better games ..................................................................................................................................... 107 6.1. Design and procedure ......................................................................................... 108 6.2. Results ................................................................................................................ 109 6.3. Discussion for video game developers ............................................................... 133 6.4. Summary of Chapter Six .................................................................................... 136 Part III: Video games as a new medium of cultural literacy acquisition ............................... 138 Chapter Seven: The conceptual design of an educational digital game for intercultural education ................................................................................................................................ 138 7.1. ATMSG model as a background of Chuzme design .......................................... 139 7.2. Summary of Chapter Seven ................................................................................ 171 Chapter Eight: General discussion ..................................................................................... 172 8.1. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 172 8.2. Contributions to Knowledge ............................................................................... 178 8.3. Limitations of the study ...................................................................................... 187 8.4. Further research directions ................................................................................. 188 References ............................................................................................................................. 192 Appendix Appendix 1 ................................................................................................................ 235 Appendix 2 ................................................................................................................ 243 Appendix 3 ................................................................................................................ 253 Appendix 4 ................................................................................................................ 261 Indexes List of Figures ............................................................................................................ 262 List of Tables ............................................................................................................. 264 List of Pictures ........................................................................................................... 265 List of Diagrams ........................................................................................................ 265 iv Abstract Modern video games are complex, diverse, immersive and pervasive, and their influence on society and people is far-reaching. Video games and their impacts were initially demonised, but over time research started assessing the positive effects of games on competencies and abilities connected to twenty-first-century skills that include cultural literacy. In line with this trend, this thesis examines how entertaining commercial titles, serious games, educational games and simulations can support players in learning and in acquiring skills that enhance cultural literacy. An analysis of the common trends for the skills and competencies needed for success in the twenty-first century —studied by UNESCO, the British Council, IBM, Google, LinkedIn, and the World Economic Forum, among others,— revealed that living in a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world requires a new, updated model of cultural literacy. This thesis proposes such a model. A review was made of the recent literature on the impact and outcomes of video games, showing that video games can reinforce or weaken stereotypes; help to acquire cultural knowledge and develop intercultural literacy, socio-cultural literacy, cultural awareness, self- awareness, and the cultural understanding of different geopolitical spaces; and to some extent also facilitate the development of intercultural skills. The heart of the thesis is an investigation into the effectiveness of video games for tackling difficult social issues such as migratory movements and the refugee crisis. Two studies were conducted one quantitative and the other qualitative that obtained heartening results for producers of empathy video games. Many participants reported feeling more empathy and less rejection towards migrants and refugees, as well as being more motivated to actively help people in need. Additionally, a broad survey revealed the AAA entertainment game genres, characters, and in-game elements and features that digital natives find attractive