Changing minds for changing times: Priming for decision making under uncertainty using serious games
Kia ora! I’m Eleanor Chaos. I moved to Pōneke (Wellington), Aotearoa in July 2021 with my spouse and two dogs, to undertake a Tohu Kairangi (PhD) at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). Coming from Perth, Western Australia, which is dry, flat and horribly hot in Summer, I am a huge fan of Pōneke’s green spaces, hills, streams and cool weather. I also like the friendly people, food and beverage obsession, and cultural scene. When I’m not studying, I enjoy playing music, walking the dogs, and playing board and computer games.
My Project
My research sits within the Resilience Challenge Coastal Programme’s Pillar 3: Enabling Coastal Adaptation project. It examines the role serious games can play in improving decision making for coastal climate change adaptation. Specifically, I am looking at whether playing serious games can motivate a shift from short-term static to long term and dynamic adaptive decision making, and if they can help improve connectivity between traditionally siloed groups. My supervisors are Dr Judy Lawrence (VUW) and Dr Paula Blackett (NIWA). I started in April 2021, so am currently near the end of my first year.
The research methodology is largely qualitative. It will include interviewing people at different organisations who have previously worked with games, to find out more about how they were used and what the outcomes were. I’ll also evaluate the learning effects and adaptability outcomes of existing games being used with decision makers by NIWA. Data will be collected using pre- and post- game questionnaires, and ‘post-post’ interviews (undertaken several weeks after game day).
Next Steps
After submitting my research and ethics proposals I will be up and running on the implementation stage. Please look me up and get in touch if you’d like to kōrero – I am always happy to talk about and/or play games!
