Solving puzzles, playing games

The potential and pitfalls of entertainment education in teaching about sexuality

Bibliographic Data

ID18980758
AuthorsMarijke Naezer (0000-0001-8973-7153, Independent Researcher, Radboud University Nijmegen, corresponding author), Willemijn Krebbekx (0000-0001-5355-7951, University of Amsterdam)
Year2025
Volume28
Issue3
Pages1084-1101
Publication date2025-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSexualities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-4607 • E-ISSN: 1461-7382
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/13634607241232597
OpenAlexW4391655886
LanguageEN
References cited30

This paper explores the potential of entertainment education (EE) in teaching about sexuality, especially in terms of (1) addressing gaps and instigating an approach that is more (2) youth-centred and (3) norm-critical than conventional sex education. Based on the analysis of five projects in the Netherlands (escape room, educational theatre performance, interactive website, offline game, VR production), we argue that these methods attend to often-overlooked themes. Moreover, they allow for higher levels of student activity and student responsibility: elements of a youth-centred approach. Yet, EE-initiatives are not by themselves more norm-critical, and we observed inequality practices such as heteronormativity and victim-blaming. In our conclusion, we define crucial conditions for realising the potential of EE in teaching about sexuality

Entertainment · Heteronormativity · Human sexuality · Inequality · Pedagogy · Political science · Sex education · Sexuality education · Sociology · Digital Games and Media · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology

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