DOCUMENTARY,
ANIMATION OR
INTERACTIVE GAMING?
Astrid Gynnild, Ph.D., University of Bergen
Paul C. Adams, Ph.D., University of Texas at
Austin

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THE DILEMMAS
 Complex issues
 Statistical
language
 Large-scale
models
 Long term fore-
casts
 The paradox of
humans and
nature

UNCERTAINTIES

How to communicate environmental
risk?

Results
 Information
overload
 Mental fatigue
Cognition Emotion

Coping strategies
 Overlooking environmental issues in
media
 Rationalizing

Attitudes
 Feeling helpless
and powerless
 Believe in
individual action
(American
pattern)
 Believe in
collective action
(Scandinavian
pattern)

What works and what doesn’t
work?
 Regular storytelling
 One-sidedness, lack
of
”objective”
information
 Affective cliches
 Moralizing
 Originality
 Reliable data!
 Interactivity/exploratio
n
 Humor
+
 Friend
recommendation
Negatives Positives

provides new opportunities to
explore complex news
Interactive gaming

Choosing the US at the outset
The results of one typical set of lifestyle
patterns

Benefits of interactive gaming
 Individual exploration
 Active involvement in the news
 Encourages group interactions
 Visually appealing

“It makes you think while you are having fun!