Unnatural Habitats? Sustainability Literacy in Children’s Virtual Worlds

• In Event: Roundtable Session 102
  In Roundtable Session: Design and Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, Virtual Worlds, and Fan Sites

Abstract

An emerging approach to teaching young people about sustainability is the use of immersive game spaces and virtual environments. This project focuses on children’s virtual worlds with an environmental values orientation to examine the ways these worlds work as vehicles of sustainability literacy. These worlds position themselves explicitly as ethical and sustainable spaces, focusing on environmental responsibility and stewardship. Yet, they contain only a veneer of ecological thinking, rely heavily on consumerist logic, and provide mixed messages for young people about what it means to conserve and consume. We use the lenses of Value Sensitive Design (VSD) and Ecocriticism to interrogate these technologies, exploring how the discursive practices of these spaces support or constrain different visions of a sustainable world.

Authors

• Robert Bittner, The University of British Columbia

• Eric Meyers, The University of British Columbia