Navigating the moral maze of an escape room: Bridging cultural spheres in a political art project

Abstract

Organizations often combine cultural spheres to pursue goals which can elicit moral concerns and opposition in different actors. In this study we investigate challenges and moral transgressions that arise from blending distinct cultural spheres. We have conducted a longitudinal inductive study of an Escape Room art project that combined a humanitarian sphere with gaming and art. We found three categories of moral concerns, relating to the boundaries of cultural spheres, the integrity of each cultural sphere, and the integration of “voices” from each sphere. By distinguishing the operation of moral codes through moral intuitions through situated emotions, our study further clarifies the structural sources of moral transgressions.