Abstract
This chapter discusses how online digital games could address shortcomings in traditional health communication strategies, namely, their centralized production, normative tone, and unidirectional diffusion, without space for dialogue with the population. Games could be used to present health content in attractive formats, fostering an active stance in seeking such content and even enhancing population’s social participation. To this end, we analyze theoretical perspectives of meaning production in games like the concepts of serious games, procedural rhetoric, and games as participation. Our research methods include interviews with 22 players of a popular online digital game in order to draw conclusions about their views about the potential of digital games to communicate health themes and illustrate collective health issues. The research results allow us to conclude that participating in games and the fact that games generally bring participants together are decisive elements of the potential digital games for health.
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Notes
- 1.
Chapter 7 addresses the issue of digital natives and health.
- 2.
“Ganking” is using a very powerful character to defeat another that is clearly less powerful. “Griefing” is causing distress, irritation, or anger to another player on purpose.
- 3.
“Machinima” comes from machine + animation, meaning animations and movies made inside a game.
- 4.
Chapter 4 discusses “Piraí Digital,” a digital inclusion project in Brazil.
- 5.
Chapter 19 discusses the use of information and communication technologies in health promotion.
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de Vasconcellos, M.S., de Carvalho, F.G., de Araujo, I.S. (2019). Games and Health Communication: Brazilian Players’ Point of View. In: Pereira Neto, A., Flynn, M. (eds) The Internet and Health in Brazil . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99289-1_20
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