Purpose-As digital media reshapes storytelling, pedagogical opportunities emerge for empathic engagement through videogames. The term ludonarrative highlights videogames that evocatively intertwine story and gameplay. As videogame use both inside and outside of school increases, so does young people's potential for empathic experiences with playing ludonarratives. This paper aims to conceptually explore such possibilities. Design/methodology/approach-The term ludonarrative empathy is introduced, which expresses how story and gameplay work together, stemming from sociocultural, postdigital and pedagogical theories. A novel analytical tool, Ludonarrative Empathy Analytical Framework (LEAF), is outlined for analyzing how videogames can be used in teaching and learning that engages empathy and then applied to three commercial videogames. Findings-The analysis of the three videogames using LEAF reveals how gameplay and narrative elements of videogames offer playful and meaningful experiences for student empathy. This is typified through games' ability to mediate player agency in addition to multimodal and semiotic means of communication. Originality/value-While empathy through literature has been widely studied, less is known about the effect of videogames on empathic engagement within classroom contexts. There is a gap in this field of understanding their potential affordances for experiencing empathy through textual study in the subject of English; this paper therefore invites further empirical research.
Purpose In response to the documented rise of misogynistic attitudes and behaviors in secondary schools, this essay aims to examine the manosphere as a literacy issue with implications for English Language Arts (ELA) education. As digital platforms increasingly shape how adolescents encounter and make sense of gender and power, understanding the role of algorithmic systems has become critical. The essay argues that algorithmic literacy should be a central component of ELA teacher preparation. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, this essay synthesizes research on the manosphere, masculinity, critical media literacy and algorithmic literacy. The analysis examines how these bodies of literature intersect and considers their implications for ELA pedagogy and teacher education. Findings This essay suggests that the manosphere gains influence through the intersection of emotional vulnerability, misogynistic ideology and algorithmic amplification. Recommendation systems can increase exposure to masculinist content, while schools serve as sites where these discourses are enacted and contested. This essay identifies algorithmic literacy as a necessary extension of critical media literacy and outlines a pedagogical plan that prepares preservice teachers to critically examine digital platforms and gendered content online. Originality/value This essay contributes to scholarship by connecting research on the manosphere, masculinity and algorithmic systems with secondary school environments. It positions algorithmic literacy as an essential component of literacy education and offers a pedagogical approach for teacher education.
