Mediation of public diplomacy
Video games as virtual spaces for conflict resolution
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29105/gmjmx18.35-7Keywords:
video games, serious games, public diplomacy, soft power, imagined contactAbstract
In the last decade, video games as a field of study have gained more relevance, resulting in the recognition by other fields of study that now include them as an extension of their own research, adding new challenges and opportunities to the way these fields are understood. While there has been an increase in the production and study of video games in international studies disciplines, such as international development and global health, little research has been done on their potential as tools for public diplomacy. Through qualitative methods, this theoretical analysis explores the use of video games for conflict resolution as part of a public diplomacy strategy. Based on the imagined intergroup contact theory, it is argued that video games act as catalysts for the creation of a virtual third space where intergroup relation can promote the reduction of negative prejudices and the increase of empathy, necessary elements for public diplomacy programs.
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Global Media Journal México, publicación semestral, editada por el Departamento de Psicología y Comunicación de Texas A&M International University, Laredo, Texas, Estados Unidos; y la Facultad de Ciencias de la Comunicación de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, México. Editores responsables: Dr. José Carlos Lozano y Dr. Francisco Javier Martínez Garza. Datos de contactos: jose.lozano@tamiu.edu, tel. (956) 326-3117 y francisco.martinezgz@uanl.edu.mx, teléfono (81) 83294000, Ext. 7710 y 7711. Reserva de derechos al uso exclusivo número 04 – 2017- 080814012900- 203, expedido por la Dirección de Reservas de Derechos del Instituto Nacional del Derecho de Autor. ISSN: 2007-2031. El editor no necesariamente comparte el contenido de los artículos, ya que son responsabilidad exclusiva de los autores. Se prohíbe la reproducción total o parcial del contenido, ilustraciones y textos publicados en este número sin la previa autorización que por escrito emita el editor.
