Study title

Experimental research on games for climate change engagement 2022

Dataset ID Number

FSD3817

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3817
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3817

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Fernández Galeote, Daniel (Tampere University)
• Legaki, Nikoletta-Zampeta (Tampere University)
• Hamari, Juho (Tampere University)

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the potential of games for climate change engagement. The study is part of the "Our Planet at Play" project, which developed a new digital game to promote citizens' engagement with climate change and climate action, titled "Climate Connected: Outbreak". The questionnaire is partly based on a set of pre-designed questionnaires. For more information on the construction of the questionnaire, see the section Related Materials.

The study was carried out in the Ludus laboratory at Tampere University, where participants played the game in immersive VR, played on a computer screen, or read a text with the same information as the game. In two of the groups, the participants were exposed to a version of the PC game and the text occurring in Tampere, Finland. Respondents answered some of the questions before entering the lab. The variables describing these questions are DemGender, DemAge, DemBorn, DemResidence, DemEdu, EnvId, StdArcPre, SdtMotPre, DistPre, ClimAttPre, IssInvPre, EnvEffPre, PlacAtt, CultIndiv, CultHierarchy, SocDes. The other questions and variables were answered after the experience.

First, the survey asked respondents about their knowledge of climate change and infectious diseases before and after participating in the virtual reality experience. This was followed by more detailed questions about participants' experience and also about their relationship with climate change and the environment.

Next, the survey asked respondents about their pro-environmental motivations and attitudes before and after the virtual reality experience. Participants were also asked about their attitudes towards climate change.

Before the experience, wider attitudes and opinions about society were asked and a set of statements were presented for participants to rate whether they described them. After the experience, respondents were then asked what actions they were prepared to take on a regular basis in relation to climate change.

The background variables included gender, age, country or region of birth, place of residence and level of education.

Keywords

bacterial and virus diseases; climate change; climate protection; diseases; environmental changes; global warming; human behaviour

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Environment and conservation (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Information technology (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Information society (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Fernández Galeote, Daniel (Tampere University)
• Legaki, Nikoletta-Zampeta (Tampere University)
• Hamari, Juho (Tampere University)

Funders

• Nessling Foundation (202100217)
• Research Council of Finland (337653)
• European Union (840809)

Time Period Covered

2022

Collection Dates

2022-08-22 – 2022-11-11

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

The survey was open to anyone aged 18 or over who wanted to take part. The study was conducted at Tampere University, so participants had to be in Tampere to take part.

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

Invitations to the survey were distributed through flyers around Tampere University and in various public places in the city. In addition, the survey invitations were distributed in social media groups for Tampere residents and through the Tampere University's communication channels.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Web-based experiment (Information on pro-environmental issues was collected through the questions included in the game)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Participant tasks

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: English.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

272 variables and 175 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The data do not include a questionnaire.

For the KnowPre and KnowPost variables and the ActIntention variable, please read carefully the bgF file containing the background information on these variables.

The researcher has removed direct identifiers from the data.

For identification reasons, all open-ended variables have been removed from the data at FSD.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Fernández Galeote, Daniel (Tampere University) & Legaki, Nikoletta-Zampeta (Tampere University) & Hamari, Juho (Tampere University): Experimental research on games for climate change engagement 2022 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2024-09-25). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3817; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3817

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Other Material

See downloadable files at the top of the page.

An overview of the research project and a list of publications.

Related Materials

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with PostVRSickness: Jane Lessiter, Jonathan Freeman, Edmund Keogh, Jules Davidoff; A Cross-Media Presence Questionnaire: The ITC-Sense of Presence Inventory. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 2001; 10 (3): 282-297.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with PostVRSickness: Priska Breves, Holger Schramm (2021) Bridging psychological distance: The impact of immersive media on distant and proximal environmental issues, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 115, 106606.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with PostGamefulquest: Högberg, J., Hamari, J. & Wästlund, E. Gameful Experience Questionnaire (GAMEFULQUEST): an instrument for measuring the perceived gamefulness of system use. User Model User-Adap Inter 29, 619-660 (2019).

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with PostEnjoyment: Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI)

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with EnvId: Clayton, S.; Czellar, S.; Nartova-Bochaver, S.; Skibins, J.C.; Salazar, G.; Tseng, Y.-C.; Irkhin, B.; Monge-Rodriguez, F.S. (2021) Cross-Cultural Validation of A Revised Environmental Identity Scale. Sustainability, 13, 2387.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with StdArcPre and StdArcPost: Sheldon, K. M., Elliot, A. J., Kim, Y., & Kasser, T. (2001). What is satisfying about satisfying events? Testing 10 candidate psychological needs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(2), 325-339.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with StdArcPre and StdArcPost: Cooke, A. N., Fielding, K. S., & Louis, W. R. (2015). Environmentally active people: the role of autonomy, relatedness, competence and self-determined motivation. Environmental Education Research, 22(5), 631-657.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with SdtMotPre and SdtMotPost: Pelletier, L. G., Tuson, K. M., Green-Demers, I., Noels, K., and Beaton, A. M. (1998). Why are you doing things for the environment? The motivation toward the environment scale (mtes)1. J. Appl. Soc. Psychol. 28, 437-468. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1998.tb01714.x

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with DistPre and DistPost: Spence, A., Poortinga, W. and Pidgeon, N. (2012), The Psychological Distance of Climate Change. Risk Analysis, 32: 957-972.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with ClimAttPre and ClimAttPost: Christensen, Rhonda & Knezek, Gerald (2015) The Climate Change Attitude Survey: Measuring Middle School Student Beliefs and Intentions to Enact Positive Environmental Change. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, v10 n5 p773-788.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with IssInvPre and IssInvPost: Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn, Joshua Bostick, Elise Ogle, Kristine L. Nowak, Kara T. McGillicuddy, Jeremy N. Bailenson, Experiencing Nature: Embodying Animals in Immersive Virtual Environments Increases Inclusion of Nature in Self and Involvement with Nature, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Volume 21, Issue 6, 1 November 2016, Pages 399-419.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with EnvEffPre and EnvEffPost: Moeller, B.L., Stahlmann, A.G. Which Character Strengths Are Focused on the Well-Being of Others? Development and Initial Validation of the Environmental Self-Efficacy Scale: Assessing Confidence in Overcoming Barriers to Pro-environmental Behavior. J well-being assess 3, 123-135 (2019).

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with PlacAtt: Maria Lewicka (2010) What makes neighborhood different from home and city? Effects of place scale on place attachment, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume 30, Issue 1, Pages 35-51.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with CultIndiv and CultHierarchy: Kahan, D. M., Jenkins-Smith, H., & Braman, D. (2010). Cultural cognition of scientific consensus. Journal of Risk Research, 14(2), 147-174.

The research group has used the following source in constructing variables starting with SocDes: Stöber, Joachim. The Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17): Convergent validity, discriminant validity, and relationship with age

Related Publications

Fernández Galeote, D., Legaki, N. Z., & Hamari, J. (2023). Text- and Game-Based Communication for Climate Change Attitude, Self-Efficacy, and Behavior: A Controlled Experiment. Computers in Human Behavior, 149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107930

Fernández Galeote, D., Legaki, N. Z., & Hamari, J. (2023). From traditional to game-based learning of climate change: A media comparison experiment. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 7(CHI PLAY), 393. https://doi.org/10.1145/3611039

Fernández Galeote, D., Legaki, N-Z., & Hamari, J. (2023). Climate Connected: An Immersive VR and PC Game for Climate Change Engagement. In Companion Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY '23 Companion). https://doi.org/10.1145/3573382.3616053

Fernández Galeote, D., Sicevic, N., Legaki, N-Z., & Hamari, J. (2024). Changing Climate Change Mental Models Through Game-Based Learning: A Controlled Experiment Involving Cognitive Mapping. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 8(CHI PLAY). https://doi.org/10.1145/3677062

Fernández Galeote, D., Legaki, N-Z., & Hamari, J. (2024). Climate Change at Your Doorstep: An Experiment Using a Digital Game and Distance Framing. In Companion Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY Companion '24), October 14-17, 2024, Tampere, Finland. https://doi.org/10.1145/3665463.3678780