The aim of this paper is to describe the potential of the videogame as a mass communication medium and to propose a videogame‐based public outreach strategy for education and…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to describe the potential of the videogame as a mass communication medium and to propose a videogame‐based public outreach strategy for education and inspiration to space science and space activities.
Design/methodology/approach
The objective was achieved by means of a semiotic approach to the medium under discussion. The subject scope of the paper was further developed and supported by an overview of existing case studies related to the topic. Based on the aforementioned analysis and on original ideas, new concepts and strategies on the subject are proposed.
Findings
The videogame medium has excellent potential for promotion, marketing and educational applications. Moreover, spin‐off applications in the field of simulation‐based research can also be envisioned. The proposed concepts, although specifically referring to the space sector, are applicable to many other industrial and non‐industrial fields, including libraries.
Practical implications
The paper hints at many possible spin‐off applications for videogames in the field of communication, marketing and simulation‐based research.
Originality/value
The concepts proposed in the paper outline novel marketing and outreach strategies (together with other spin‐off applications) based on a rather underestimated medium, i.e. the videogame, which has yet to receive proper attention from scholars.
Details
Keywords
Yang Lei, Yue Guo, Xiaotong Li and Zhe Jing
The space industry has experienced rapid development over the last few years. Activities such as building things in space, learning about our Earth and exploring outer space are…
Abstract
Purpose
The space industry has experienced rapid development over the last few years. Activities such as building things in space, learning about our Earth and exploring outer space are satisfying people's fantasies and achieving humanity's ambitions. Such activities have also generated many issues that belong to several information systems (IS) research domains. In this article, the authors discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with the space economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors discuss why the emerging space economy opens a new frontier of e-commerce and data analytics. Linking three important IS research areas (i.e. digital commerce, data analytics and information security) to the space economy, this study motivates scholars to pay close attention to this promising new frontier for IS research.
Findings
The authors identify new research opportunities within several IS research contexts (digital commerce, data analytics and information security). The authors highlight the potential for opening a robust, interdisciplinary field in the IS domain that could provide valuable insights for practitioners and academics.
Originality/value
Because of the unique characteristics of the space economy, this article presents some promising avenues, research opportunities and implications for several IS fields (digital commerce, data analytics, decision science, information sharing and information security and new business models). Indeed, many opportunities are interdisciplinary in scope, with overlaps occurring between IS and other disciplines.