It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, December 12, 2025
Research reveals game avatars offer safe alternatives for exploring and expressing gender identities
Videogame avatars can offer safer alternatives for exploring and expressing gender identities for transgender and gender diverse people, according to a new research review.
Experts from the University of Nottingham’s School of Psychology examined research from the past decade, analysing 14 studies and found that avatar customisation is a unique mechanism for exploring, expressing, and affirming gender identity for transgender players and has a positive impact on wellbeing. The findings have been published the International Journal of Transgender Health.
Video games offer players diverse, meaningful experiences through emotionally resonant narratives and complex characters with some games allowing players to customise virtual extensions of themselves, known as avatars, through which they explore environments, narratives, and social interactions.
Participants in the studies that were reviewed reported reduced gender dysphoria and increased gender euphoria when avatars aligned with their gender identity and desired expression. This effect was particularly strong when other players affirmed the players’ gender identity based on their in-game avatar.
These effects were most pronounced in role-playing and narrative-driven games and in games with high levels of avatar customization. An example of this is the game Baldur's Gate 3 which was highlighted by participants as having both a rich, emotionally impactful narrative as well as inclusive and meaningful avatar customisation options.
Studies also highlighted the online environment as a safer alternative for gender identity exploration and expression than offline environments.
This review was led by Dr Cecilie Lolansen from the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham, she said: “In times of increasing infringements on transgender and gender diverse people's rights and access to care, it's becoming incredibly important to explore new ways of supporting these individuals, particularly when gender affirming care may be limited. Our findings are not only important for cyberpsychology, but for clinicians and healthcare providers seeking to support transgender and gender diverse individuals using a low-cost intervention to enhance their wellbeing.”
Dr Nikki Dean Marshall, co-author on the study adds: “This research shows that video games can be more than just entertainment, they can be affirming spaces that support identity development. Game designers and mental health professionals have an opportunity to leverage these findings for inclusive design and psychological interventions.”
A Decade of Avatars: A Systematic Review of Recreational Gaming as a Mechanism for Gender Identity Exploration and Affirmation
Article Publication Date
5-Dec-2025
Old rules do not work for reindeer husbandry
A warming climate and pressure on land use complicate life for Norway's Sámi reindeer herders. Regulations designed to help them don't work the way they should.
How do the rules of use affect Sámi reindeer husbandry? And what exactly is "sustainability" in connection with reindeer herding?
A new research article examines how the rules of use for reindeer husbandry affect reindeer herders' self-governance and ability to adapt to climate change.
"The rules of use were supposed to be a tool for the reindeer herders to achieve sustainable reindeer husbandry and self-governance for reindeer husbandry, where they themselves would manage the land and the use of the land," says Anna-Laila Danielsen, a PhD candidate at the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
However, the rules of use create challenges for Sámi reindeer herding, especially in the face of climate change and development, since the rules are not open enough to be able to accommodate adjustments.
Danielsen herself grew up with reindeer herding, and has personal experience of how the rules of use affect the operation. She is the first author of the new article with Sara Heidenreich and Robert Næss from the same department.
The authorities can intervene
The rules of use were introduced during the revision of the Reindeer Husbandry Act in 2007. To ensure the regulations would work with the Sámi practices for reindeer herding and to give the reindeer herders autonomy, the intention was that the reindeer herders should develop the rules for their own sïjt.
But the proposed revisions had to be approved by the authorities before they could be implemented.
"The County Governor was authorized to go in and edit the rules of use if the authorities thought it was necessary," says Danielsen.
This authorization is generally not very popular among the Sámi who practice reindeer herding.
"The rules are challenging since the County Governor does not have practical knowledge of how the Sámi practice reindeer herding. They can thus develop rules of use that are not in line with the reindeer herders' understandings of the reindeer, practices and areas," says Danielsen.
Inflexible rules
The rules of use are also used by the county governors as a source for knowledge about Sámi reindeer herding practices.
But a number of reindeer herders feel that they do not have the flexibility they need to face changes, such as climate change. Adaptation strategies for today's changes were not included in the 2007 revision, since the country and climate looked different at the time.
And reindeer herders can be punished in the form of sanctions if they do not follow the rules. The reindeer herders feel that since they were involved in developing their own rules of use, they are confronted with previous attitudes and understandings by having the rules of use used against them.
Norwegian SciTech News has previously written about how climate change has changed reindeer herding.
Too detailed or too relaxed
In general, the reindeer herders encounter either one or the other of these two problems, depending on whether the rules of use are too detailed or too poorly detailed:
During the development of the rules of use, some reindeer herders chose to write detailed rules to protect themselves from development. These have encountered major challenges in the face of climate change, because the detailed rules of use are not flexible enough.
But other reindeer herders chose not to write detailed rules of use in order to retain flexibility. These herders have now lost a lot of land to development.
So what is "sustainability"?
The authorities and the reindeer herders do not have the same understanding of sustainability either, according to the researcher.
"The authorities see sustainable reindeer husbandry as an industry that will produce meat. The operation must be profitable and create money," says Danielsen.
She has spoken to a number of reindeer herders for her research.
"Our reindeer herding Sámi informants did not use the term 'sustainability' explicitly. But the informants talk about their relationship with the reindeer, how the encounter with changes affects their reindeer and how far they are willing to go financially, in terms of workload and by getting around in unsafe conditions for the reindeer to thrive. We thus conclude that for reindeer herding Sámi, 'sustainability' is about animal welfare. Our informants are simply willing to go bankrupt if it is necessary for them to be with their reindeer and give the animals a good life," says Danielsen.
Unsuitable for resolving conflicts
There are, of course, internal disagreements among the Sami reindeer herding community, but the county governors and the reindeer herders have different opinions as to why these disagreements arise, Danielsen said.
The county governors claim that since land is lost, the reindeer herders are positioning themselves, which creates conflicts. In other words, they claim that the reindeer herders are taking from each other
The reindeer herders, on the other hand, claim that external challenges such as development, climate change and legislation, such as the rules of use, put pressure on reindeer husbandry.
"At the same time, some claim that the state administration discriminates against the reindeer herders. Differential treatment leads to some people getting help, while others have to fend for themselves when they face external challenges," says Danielsen.
The rules of use have not changed much since they were developed 15-20 years ago.
Several reindeer herders claim that the revision of the Reindeer Husbandry Act in 2007 and the rules of use have resulted in giving reindeer herders a shaky administrative situation without any tools. They have been deprived of the safety net where they could help each other. Instead, they are locked into rules of use that are not open enough for reindeer husbandry to adapt to changes. Thus, external conflicts and changes are have become a part of Sámi reindeer herding.
"In simpler terms, the rules of use and self-governance that lacks tools are a foundation for 'letting the dogs fight'," Danielsen said.
Bærekraftig reindrift? Bruksreglenes påvirkning på reindriftssamenes selvstyre og klimatilpasning
Sami reindeer herders struggle to keep their herds healthy during marginal winter conditions and must give the animals supplemental feed. Some herders feel the Norwegian government's 'rules of use' don't give them the flexibility they need to address today's changing social situations and climate.
Credit
Photo: Anna-Laila Danielsen, NTNU
Anna-Laila Danielsen.
Credit
Photo: Jåvva Danielsen
The international academic journal Smart Civil Infrastructures sponsored by Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture is officially launched
On December 6, 2025, the inaugural ceremony of Smart Civil Infrastructures, an international academic journal sponsored by Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA), was grandly held during the National Bridge Academic Conference. The event attracted over 600 domestic and international experts and scholars, including academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), foreign academicians of engineering, and national masters of engineering survey and design.
Professor Xi-Gang Zhang, academician of CAE, national master of engineering survey and design, chief scientist of China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), and Editor-in-Chief of Smart Civil Infrastructures, delivered a welcome speech first. He pointed out that the global science and technology sector is undergoing unprecedented transformation in a century, with various disruptive technologies emerging rapidly. Meanwhile, China is comprehensively advancing a series of major strategic initiatives, such as the Transportation Power and Digital China strategies. At this historic juncture, civil engineering, as an ancient discipline that underpins the development and security of human civilization, embraces a rare opportunity for intelligent transformation. Civil engineering professionals are entrusted not only with the mission of technological innovation, but also with the era-specific responsibility of supporting national cultural rejuvenation and participating in the reshaping of global knowledge systems. First-class academic journals are integral to building a strong nation in science and technology. Rooted in a global perspective and integrating cutting-edge research findings, Smart Civil Infrastructures will leverage its outstanding academic quality and distinct practice-oriented approach to drive the construction industry toward greater safety, intelligence, and sustainability.
Professor Ting-Hua Yi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of BUCEA, recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Smart Civil Infrastructures, elaborated on the journal's founding background, disciplinary positioning, development vision, and editorial board composition. He noted that since its preparatory stage, the journal has garnered widespread attention and positive responses from academia and industry, and has assembled a team of more than 120 editorial board members consisting of academicians, fellows, society presidents, and industry authorities from over 20 countries and regions, including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Canada. Looking ahead, the journal will focus on three key priorities: first, serving as an innovation hub for cutting-edge technologies to drive original breakthroughs; second, building an intellectual support base for civil engineering strategies to strengthen strategic underpinning; third, establishing a cross-disciplinary convergence platform to facilitate knowledge integration. The journal is committed to developing into an academic highland that leads the digital and intelligent transformation of civil engineering, injecting sustained and far-reaching impetus into the advancement of the construction industry.
Academicians of CAE, including Xi-Gang Zhang, Jing-Quan Wang, De-Sheng Jiang, Zheng-Qing Chen, and Bin Zeng, together with Masters Bing Cui, Ren-Gui Wang, Biao Ma, Professor Ting-Hua Yi, and Professor Wen-Jie Li, jointly unveiled the journal to mark its official launch.
In recent years, BUCEA has actively responded to China's "AI+" initiative, embedding information technology deeply into teaching, research, and management. Driven by digital transformation, the university has accelerated its overall development by formulating and implementing the Three-Year Action Plan for Accelerating the "AI+" Initiative at BUCEA. It has established a comprehensive, full-cycle, and multi-dimensional development model for "AI+" and"+AI", vigorously promoting the in-depth integration and innovation of artificial intelligence and education across disciplines, talent training systems, research capacity building, and faculty development. To align with the intelligent transformation trend of the construction industry, BUCEA officially initiated the preparation of the international academic journal Smart Civil Infrastructures(ISSN: 3117-5260). Professor Da-Yu Zhang, President of BUCEA, serves as the Chairman of the Journal Council, while Vice Presidents Professor Zhao-Hui Chen and Professor Jun-Qi Li act as Vice Chairs. The journal is led by Editor-in-Chiefs Professor Xi-Gang Zhang and Professor Ting-Hua Yi, and its Advisory Editorial Board comprises 12 authoritative experts: CAE Academicians Jin-Ping Ou, Xu-Hong Zhou, Yan-Liang Du, Hua-Jun Li, Qing-Rui Yue, Jia-Ping Liu and Chuan He; Foreign Academician Billie F. Spencer Jr.; Han-Bin Ge, Academician of Foreign Academy of Engineering; Yan Zhuge, Academician of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering; Professor Michael Beer, President of the European Safety and Reliability Association; and Professor Mundia Muya, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zambia. Additionally, over 60 national-level leading talents and more than 50 tenured professors and associate professors from renowned international universities serve as Associate Editors and Editorial Board Members.
Smart Civil Infrastructuresis published globally by KeAi Publishing, a joint venture between Science Press and Elsevier B.V. The journal adopts ScienceDirect, the professional peer-review and full-text database platform of Elsevier, for the entire manuscript handling process. Positioned as a comprehensive academic journal focusing on intelligent technologies in civil engineering, it is dedicated to advancing the digitalization, informationization, and smartization of civil engineering. It focuses on innovations and breakthroughs in the implementation of emerging technologies, such as smart sensing, the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, in major infrastructure projects including long-span bridges, high-rise buildings, large-scale stadiums, deep and long tunnels, major energy facilities, and complex lifeline systems. The journal welcomes submissions of various types, including reviews, research articles, technical notes, data papers, and engineering case studies.
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