The impact of environmental serious game on pro-environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy

Abstract Environmental serious games, propelled by rapid information technology development, represent a novel intervention in the environmental sector. The study seeks to investigate how environmental serious games influence pro-environmental behavior while examining the mediating roles of environm...

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Main Authors: Jinsong Chen, Miao He, Shengxiang She
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11297-z
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author Jinsong Chen
Miao He
Shengxiang She
author_facet Jinsong Chen
Miao He
Shengxiang She
author_sort Jinsong Chen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Environmental serious games, propelled by rapid information technology development, represent a novel intervention in the environmental sector. The study seeks to investigate how environmental serious games influence pro-environmental behavior while examining the mediating roles of environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy. Utilizing literature review and theoretical derivation, the study establishes a research framework and employs questionnaire surveys and field methods to analyze the relationships between environmental serious games, pro-environmental behavior, environmental psychological ownership, and environmental self-efficacy. The findings demonstrate that environmental serious games effectively enhance public awareness and participation in environmental protection efforts. Environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy serve as mediators between gaming experiences and environmental behaviors. More specifically, games enhance players’ sense of environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy, consequently promoting more active environmental behaviors. These findings hold significant implications for the design and promotion of environmental serious games. They reveal the significant potential of games in enhancing public awareness and facilitating environmental behaviors, providing new avenues for environmental protection. Additionally, the study underscores the critical roles of environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy in game interventions, offering a theoretical foundation and guidance for future game design and evaluation. Furthermore, the findings provide insights into areas such as environmental education, policy development, and public management practices.
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spelling doaj-art-5f10d9f99ef84b689ee84d4f3dd092f62025-08-20T03:42:29ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-11297-zThe impact of environmental serious game on pro-environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacyJinsong Chen0Miao He1Shengxiang She2School of Economics, Guizhou University of Finance and EconomicsSchool of Management, Chongqing Technology and Business InstituteSchool of Business, Guangzhou College of Technology and BusinessAbstract Environmental serious games, propelled by rapid information technology development, represent a novel intervention in the environmental sector. The study seeks to investigate how environmental serious games influence pro-environmental behavior while examining the mediating roles of environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy. Utilizing literature review and theoretical derivation, the study establishes a research framework and employs questionnaire surveys and field methods to analyze the relationships between environmental serious games, pro-environmental behavior, environmental psychological ownership, and environmental self-efficacy. The findings demonstrate that environmental serious games effectively enhance public awareness and participation in environmental protection efforts. Environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy serve as mediators between gaming experiences and environmental behaviors. More specifically, games enhance players’ sense of environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy, consequently promoting more active environmental behaviors. These findings hold significant implications for the design and promotion of environmental serious games. They reveal the significant potential of games in enhancing public awareness and facilitating environmental behaviors, providing new avenues for environmental protection. Additionally, the study underscores the critical roles of environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy in game interventions, offering a theoretical foundation and guidance for future game design and evaluation. Furthermore, the findings provide insights into areas such as environmental education, policy development, and public management practices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11297-zEnvironmental protectionEnvironmental serious gamesPro-environmental behaviorGamificationDigitization
spellingShingle Jinsong Chen
Miao He
Shengxiang She
The impact of environmental serious game on pro-environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy
Scientific Reports
Environmental protection
Environmental serious games
Pro-environmental behavior
Gamification
Digitization
title The impact of environmental serious game on pro-environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy
title_full The impact of environmental serious game on pro-environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy
title_fullStr The impact of environmental serious game on pro-environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy
title_full_unstemmed The impact of environmental serious game on pro-environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy
title_short The impact of environmental serious game on pro-environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self-efficacy
title_sort impact of environmental serious game on pro environmental behavior through environmental psychological ownership and environmental self efficacy
topic Environmental protection
Environmental serious games
Pro-environmental behavior
Gamification
Digitization
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11297-z
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