Solving puzzles, playing games: The potential and pitfalls of entertainment education in teaching about sexuality

Abstract

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.