The monographic section of this issue has been edited by Dr. Blanca Estela López (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana), Dr. Ruth S. Contreras Espinosa (University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia), and Dr. Ángel Garfias (National Autonomous University of Mexico). It is dedicated to research in the field of game studies, as well as to research applied to video game development in the industry. A variety of topics on video game research in Latin America are addressed, contributing to the construction of theoretical and methodological frameworks to advance research in this field. Topics include the relationship between video games and humanitarian crises, the transmedia representation of regional conflicts such as organized crime, and alternative interpretations of AAA games from a Latin American perspective.

The miscellaneous section presents articles on diverse topics and contexts. The first examines how media education and the informational self-perception of future teachers influence the formation of a critical citizenship. Another article analyzes how digital transformation impacts digital identity and citizenship among adults in Turkey's main cities, with differences observed by age, education level, and place of residence. Finally, a third article presents a study on LGBTIQ+ representation in Ecuadorian television programs.

This issue concludes with a review of the book Videojuegos y cinematografía by López Pérez, B., Rangel Jiménez, M., and Meritano Corrales, E. (2024), published by the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, which complements the monographic section. 

The monographic section of this issue, edited by Dr. Joan Rodriguez-Amat (Sheffield Hallam University), focuses on the analysis of narrative in cultural industries with an emphasis on the platformization of cultural production (Nieborg & Poell, 2018), digital platforms, stories, and the role of the main actors in the narrative process. It addresses various themes such as the impact of the platformization of cultural production on creativity and narratives, as well as the role and narrative models that figures like YouTubers, Instagrammers, Twitchers, and TikTokers are adopting for new audiences, formats, and environments, among others.

In the miscellaneous section, topics such as the political commitment in Francesco Rosi's films, the effectiveness of educational series like "Merlí" in engaging young audiences, the dissemination of scientific knowledge through institutional communication practices, and the alignment between public and media agendas in Ecuadorian media are analyzed. Additionally, the results of a Doctoral thesis on how gender discrimination affects female journalists despite technological advances in digital platforms and media are presented.

The monographic section of this number (Ed. Gema Lobillo Mora, Universidad de Málaga), address how beyond sports journalism, sports communication is becoming increasingly important. The way of communicating has changed. It is no longer only journalists in traditional media who communicate (Rojas Torrijos, 2020), but there are many broadcasters who make up the media ecosystem. In addition to journalists (Manfredi Sánchez et al., 2015), athletes (Cano and Paniagua, 2017; Marín, 2010), fans (Rojas Torrijos and García Cepero, 2020; Lobillo and Martín, 2020), clubs (Ginesta et al, 2011; Lobillo and Guevara, 2018; Olabe, 2009), administrations (Koljonen, 2013; Ginesta, 2011), etc. Furthermore, the way of communicating has evolved drastically, thanks to new information and communication technologies (social networks, mobile applications, etc.). New sports such as eSports have burst onto the scene, which have changed the world of sport and with them academic studies (Zhong et al., 2022).

Sports entities are also communicating in new ways through specific policies, which are directly linked to marketing strategies, brand image or corporate social responsibility (Olabe, 2012; Lobillo et al., 2021; López-Martínez and Fernández-Fernández, 2015).

This monograph compiles the current research on sports communication and marketing, ranging from sports journalism, organizational communication strategies, the use of traditional (Facebook, Twitter, etc) or novel (Twich, TikTok, etc) social networks to analyses of the main issuers of communication and the instruments they use to reach their audiences.

Bibliographical references:

Cano-Tenorio, R. y Paniagua-Rojano, F. J. (2017). El uso de Twitter por parte de los futbolistas profesionales. Contenidos y relaciones con los públicos/The use of Twitter by the professional football players. Contents and relations with the publics relations. Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas, 7(13), 101-122.

Ginesta Portet, X. (2011). El fútbol y el negocio del entretenimiento global. Los clubes como multinacionales del ocio.

Ginesta, X., Gómez, M., y Serrat, J. (2011). Observatorio BARÇA 2010. La campaña a la presidencia del FC Barcelona en la prensa deportiva y las redes sociales. Ámbitos. Revista Internacional de Comunicación, (20), 197-215.

Koljonen, S. (2013). Values and marketing communication with fragmented markets: Case study in the UEFA Euro Cup 2012.

Lobillo-Mora, G., Ginesta, X., & de San Eugenio Vela, J. (2021). Corporate Social Responsibility and Football Clubs: The Value of Environmental Sustainability as a Basis for the Rebranding of Real Betis Balompié in Spain. Sustainability ca13(24), 13689. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132413689.pp.1-16

Lobillo-Mora, G. y Guevara, A. J. (2018). Desarrollo comunicacional en los clubes de fútbol españoles. Estudio del Caso: Sevilla FC. Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte (Riccafd) 7(1). Pp.34- 46 ISSN: 2255-0461 https://doi.org/10.24310/riccafd.2018.v7i1.4858

Lobillo-Mora, G. y Martín-Márquez, P. (2020). Análisis del tratamiento de la prensa malagueña de la afición de fútbol. Estudio del caso del Frente Bokerón como grupo ultra. En A. De Vicente y N. Abuín Yences. La comunicación especializada del siglo XXI. McGrawHill. ISBN 978-84-486-2434-7, págs. 621-639

López-Martínez, R., y Fernández-Fernández, J. L. (2015). Responsabilidad Social Corporativa y Buen Gobierno en los clubes de fútbol españoles. Universia Business Review, (46), 38-53.

Manfredi Sánchez, J. L., Herranz de la Casa, J. M., & Rojas Torrijos, J. L. (2015). Periodismo emprendedor: el periodismo deportivo en España.

Marín Montín, J. (2010). Valores mediáticos del deportista profesional en la publicidad: análisis comparativo entre Rafa Nadal y Gemma Mengual. Comunicación: revista Internacional de Comunicación Audiovisual, Publicidad y Estudios Culturales, 1 (8), 26-40.

Olabe- Sánchez, F. (2009). La comunicación no convencional en los clubes de fútbol/Non conventional communication in the football clubs. Pensar la publicidad, 3(1), 121.

Olabe- Sánchez (2012). La RSC como factor de reputación en los clubes de fútbol profesionales. aDResearch ESIC International Journal of Communication Research, 6(6), 144-157.

Rojas-Torrijos, J. L. (2020). Las crónicas deportivas de diarios de referencia como herramienta para la enseñanza práctica del idioma y de la redacción periodística. Innovación Docente e Investigación en Educación y Ciencias Sociales. Avanzando en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.

Rojas-Torrijos, J. L., y García-Cepero, J. (2020). Percepción del periodismo deportivo de datos entre usuarios habituales. Estudio de caso del modelo predictivo de El País para el Mundial de Fútbol de 2018.

Zhong, Y., Guo, K., Su, J., & Chu, S. K. W. (2022). The impact of esports participation on the development of 21st century skills in youth: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 104640.

The monographic section of this number address how specific contemporary social processes interrelate with specific communication platforms, content and products. In a large number of contemporary social processes, the behaviour of groups is affected by the media and social networks, elements that play a relevant role in the way human interactions take place. Depending on the case, these communication-related processes involve ethical and educational issues related to people's physical and mental health, etc. Articles that explore these processes in their multiple dimensions are published.

Our societies are increasingly playful and the video game is one of the spaces where a large part of the subjectivity and aesthetic education of the population is built, including the youngest. The video game, in its different genres and categorizations, has an enormous power of centrality and social representation due to its relationship with the construction of cultural identities, the diversity of its expressive forms or its projection as a universal language. Both developers and the community of players are capable of projecting on them the realities that are close to them.

As a cultural artifact, the video game carries an implicit ideology, which, like the construction of meaning, is reflected and carried out through the gaming experience, commonly known as gameplay. As such, it brings with it problems of a political, economic or social nature. War conflicts, humanitarian crises (famine, refugees), the consequences of neoliberalism, climate change, loneliness, suicide, sexual identity, racism or marginalization, are just some of them.

In this sense, video games must be understood as socio-spatial practices in which the physical world and the playful space feed off each other, especially in those video games that reflect armed conflicts inspired by real or plausible situations, as is the case of Tom Clancy's The Division franchise (2016-2018) or visions of the world with a marked colonialist character such as the Sid Meier's Civilization strategy video game saga (1991-2016). Although, as with other media, a large part of the proposals are in line with the status quo, there are others that are riskier than themes such as loneliness, relationships or the consequences of economic crises, such as Nigh in the Wood (Infinity Fall , 2017), The Stillness of the Wind (Fellow Traveler, 2019) or Kentucky Zero Route (2011-2020).

Being an eminently interactive medium, the video game as an expressive-artistic medium allows exploring the themes proposed by each particular title in a totally different and active way than the predecessor media. With this monograph we intend to analyze in depth how typical problems of our time and societies are reflected in the videoludic worlds and through the defining elements of the language of the medium. There can be no full citizenship without a playful literacy in which citizens can access the video game, can understand its meaning and can create content through the medium.

Given the growing importance of digital competence and media literacy, Obra Digital in its number 21 aims to address this issue from different approaches and realities in such a way that it presents a contribution that allows us to deepen some areas of this fascinating and changing reality, with special emphasis on education.

Social media have taken over the business sector, the advertising field and, in addition, the sports sector. They have had an impact on the way we communicate and have now become an integral part of our lives. Social media allows organizations to reach their customers regardless of geographical boundaries to create brand awareness, but they also reach users to provide unreliable news. The influence of social media has led to a different genre of communication where conversations are fast and information is easily transmitted, for that reason, social media are a constant topic of discussion.

Information and communication technologies are shaped by society but also modified by political structures. Linking technologies and democracy implies talking about a wide range of scenarios in which different users, content, and various elements interact.

Communication goes beyond media and messages. It helps us to shape the social relationships through which we give meaning to our reality and culture. We tried in this issue to give space to creativity and  diverse areas of communication and culture, including subjects and voices frequently delayed.