game design research topics

Jan 28 2023

• 7 Research Topics for PhD Students in Game Technology

Joan Carlos (Edit)

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Research in the game industry is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, the game industry is a rapidly growing and evolving field, with new technologies and advancements being made on a regular basis. This means that there is a constant need for new research to explore and understand these developments, and to find ways to apply them to create better and more immersive gaming experiences.

Another important reason why research in the game industry is important is that it can have a significant impact on other areas of technology and society. For example, research in game technology can lead to the development of new tools and techniques for creating virtual and augmented reality experiences, which can be applied in fields such as education, medicine, and architecture. Additionally, research in game technology can also lead to the development of new algorithms and AI techniques that can be used in other areas such as robotics and autonomous systems.

Moreover, game industry is an industry that has a tremendous impact on people's lives. Game research is important to understand how the game affects people's behavior, emotions, and cognition. It is also important to explore how games can be used to educate, train, and entertain people. For example, games are used to teach languages, coding, and history.

Here are seven open research topics for PhD students who like Game technology

1- Real-time rendering techniques for virtual and augmented reality: This research topic would explore ways to optimize the performance of rendering algorithms in order to improve the visual quality of virtual and augmented reality games and applications.

2- Game AI and machine learning : This research topic would investigate the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques in game development, including the use of neural networks for game character behavior and decision-making, and the use of reinforcement learning to train game agents.

3- Game physics and simulation: This research topic would explore the use of physics-based simulations in games, such as rigid body dynamics, fluid simulation, and cloth simulation. The goal would be to create more realistic and immersive game environments.

4- Game design and player experience: This research topic would investigate how different game design elements, such as level design, game mechanics, and story, affect player experience and engagement. This could include user studies and player testing to understand how players interact with and respond to different game design elements.

5- Game localization and cultural adaptation: This research topic would explore the cultural adaptation of games for different regions and languages. It would investigate the challenges and opportunities of game localization, including the cultural differences that may affect the player experience and how to adapt the game to be more culturally relevant.

6- Game Analytics and personalization: This research topic would investigate the use of data analytics and player modeling to understand player behavior, preferences and adapt game content and mechanics to each player preferences.

7- Game development platforms and tools: This research topic would investigate the development of new game development platforms and tools that enable game developers to create more efficient and effective game development processes.

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107 Video Game Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Video games have become a popular form of entertainment for people of all ages. From action-packed shooters to immersive role-playing games, there is a video game out there for everyone. With such a wide variety of games to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide on a topic for an essay about video games. To help you get started, here are 107 video game essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your writing:

• The impact of violent video games on children's behavior
• The evolution of video game graphics over the years
• The rise of esports and its influence on the gaming industry
• The benefits of playing video games for cognitive development
• The representation of gender and race in video games
• The history of virtual reality gaming
• The psychology of loot boxes in video games
• The role of music in enhancing the gaming experience
• The ethics of video game journalism
• The impact of video game addiction on mental health
• The cultural significance of video game franchises like Mario and Pokemon
• The future of cloud gaming and streaming services
• The role of storytelling in video games
• The influence of video games on popular culture
• The relationship between video games and education
• The impact of video game censorship on creative expression
• The portrayal of mental health issues in video games
• The role of social media in video game marketing
• The history of video game consoles
• The impact of online multiplayer games on social interaction
• The evolution of game mechanics in the survival horror genre
• The representation of LGBTQ+ characters in video games
• The influence of Japanese culture on video game aesthetics
• The role of nostalgia in the popularity of retro gaming
• The impact of microtransactions on player experience
• The relationship between video games and violence in society
• The role of artificial intelligence in game development
• The impact of video game streaming platforms like Twitch
• The representation of disability in video games
• The influence of game design on player engagement
• The evolution of mobile gaming
• The role of virtual economies in online multiplayer games
• The impact of video game sound design on immersion
• The portrayal of mental illness in video games
• The influence of Eastern philosophy on game narratives
• The role of user-generated content in game communities
• The impact of fan culture on video game development
• The representation of indigenous cultures in video games
• The influence of literature on game storytelling
• The role of game difficulty in player satisfaction
• The impact of video game piracy on the industry
• The portrayal of war in military shooter games
• The relationship between video games and sports
• The influence of board games on video game design
• The role of player choice in game narratives
• The impact of virtual reality on therapy and rehabilitation
• The representation of historical events in video games
• The influence of film on game aesthetics
• The role of gender stereotypes in video game marketing
• The impact of game mods on player creativity
• The portrayal of mental health professionals in video games
• The influence of tabletop role-playing games on video game mechanics
• The role of game mechanics in promoting teamwork and cooperation
• The impact of game development crunch on industry workers
• The representation of animals in video games
• The influence of science fiction on game narratives
• The role of player agency in game storytelling
• The impact of game difficulty on player motivation
• The portrayal of addiction in video games
• The influence of mythology on game aesthetics
• The role of puzzles in game design
• The impact of game reviews on player purchasing decisions
• The representation of mental illness in horror games
• The influence of architecture on game environments
• The role of game soundtracks in enhancing the player experience
• The impact of game tutorials on player learning
• The portrayal of robots and AI in video games
• The influence of fashion on character design in games
• The role of humor in game narratives
• The impact of game localization on cultural representation
• The representation of environmental issues in video games
• The influence of psychology on game design
• The role of game narratives in exploring complex themes
• The impact of game communities on player engagement
• The portrayal of mental health struggles in indie games
• The influence of mythology on game storytelling
• The role of player feedback in game development
• The impact of game accessibility on player inclusivity
• The representation of gender identity in video games
• The influence of surrealism on game aesthetics
• The role of morality systems in game narratives
• The impact of game tutorials on player retention
• The portrayal of mental health professionals in horror games
• The influence of psychology on game narratives
• The role of player choice in shaping game outcomes
• The impact of game aesthetics on player immersion
• The representation of LGBTQ+ relationships in video games
• The role of environmental storytelling in game design
• The impact of game streaming on player engagement
• The portrayal of mental illness in puzzle games
• The role of player feedback in shaping game development
• The impact of game aesthetics on player perception
• The representation of LGBTQ+ characters in horror games
• The influence of film noir on game narratives
• The role of environmental storytelling in shaping game worlds
• The impact of game tutorials on player skill progression
• The portrayal of mental illness in narrative-driven games
• The influence of science fiction on game aesthetics
• The role of player choice in determining game endings
• The impact of game aesthetics on player emotional response
• The representation of LGBTQ+ relationships in indie games
• The influence of literature on game design
• The role of environmental storytelling in immersive game worlds
• The impact of game streaming on player community building
• The portrayal of mental health struggles in interactive fiction games

Whether you are writing a research paper, a critical analysis, or a personal reflection on video games, these topics provide a diverse range of ideas to explore. From examining the psychological effects of gaming to analyzing the cultural significance of game narratives, there is no shortage of fascinating topics to delve into. So, pick a topic that interests you and start exploring the world of video games through the lens of your essay. Happy writing!

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The MIT Game Lab has a long history of innovative research that spans game culture to design practice. Below are some highlights of our work. See specific pages in the pull down menu for more detailed information on some of them.

Games & Colonialism

2017-: mikael jakobsson (co-pi), mary flanagan (co-pi).

What does the history of colonialism-themed board games look like, and what can it tell us about the situation today? What does it mean to present these historical moments in such a lavish form and then let these artifacts serve as centerpieces to gather around for social interaction at board game cafes, meetups, and conventions? This greater project includes Playing Oppression , a forthcoming book to be published by MIT Press; Orderly Adventures, in which we play and analyze games with colonialist themes; and Creating Counter-Colonial Games, a series of workshops to prototype games through cultural engagement with people affected by the colonialist endeavor.

Diversity and Inclusion in Esports and Gaming

2015-: t.l. taylor.

Launched in 2015, AnyKey was co-founded by Dr. T.L. Taylor and Dr. Morgan Romine (with support from Intel and ESL) with the goal of building a more inclusive and accessible esports world for all. Since that inception, AnyKey has become the leading advocacy organization for inclusion and diversity in competitive gaming & live streaming. It now operates as a non-profit and Dr. Taylor has transitioned from being the Director of Research to Chair of the Advisory Board.

Playful Augmented Reality Audio Design Exploration

2018-2019: mikael jakobsson & philip tan.

The focus of this project was to explore the potential of audio augmented reality (AR) technology through design research methodology, particularly exploratory prototyping. Going into this, we understood that location-based audio AR allows the potential for telling stories using the players lived world, through innovative use of the affordances of mobile phone devices, particularly GPS. We also considered audio AR as a means of playing with sound and music. Utilizing the accelerometers of the Bose AR glasses and connected mobile device, body movement can be linked to the players’ own music collection or a music generation engine.

Our work culminated in the discovery of what we are calling locomotion-based gameplay, a modification to the assumptions that occur when considering location- based gameplay. From our explorative work, locomotion-based gameplay arises from the affordances and limitations of current audio AR technology. It considers a person’s movement through space as important, more so than their precise location. Locomotion also implies whole body movement through gestures including the nod of a head and the tap of a toe, not just the vector of movement on a map. These gestures are ephemeral and contain multiple meanings dependent on context and mood. We believe more work in discovering this style of gameplay would be fruitful, for purposes of art and entertainment, for education and tourism, and other currently unforeseen use cases.

Intimate Worlds: Reading for Intimate Affects in Contemporary Video Games

2016-2018: kaelan doyle-myerscough (s.m., comparative media studies, 2018).

When we think of pleasures to be found in video games, we often talk about power, control, agency, and fun. But to center these pleasures is to privilege certain stories, players, actions and possibility spaces. This thesis uses the framework of intimacy to closely examine three games for their capacity to create pleasure in vulnerability, the loss of control, dependence on others, and precarity.

Drawing from Deleuzian affect theory and feminist, queer and posthuman theorists, I read for intimate affects in the formal, aesthetic, proprioceptive and structural elements of Overwatch , The Last Guardian and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild . Ultimately, I argue two points: that video games have a unique capacity to generate intimate affects, and that my games of choice push us to rethink our assumptions about what constitutes intimacy more broadly.

When All You Have is a Banhammer: The Social and Communicative Work of Volunteer Moderators

2016-2018: claudia lo (s.m., comparative media studies, 2018).

The popular understanding of moderation online is that moderation is inherently reactive, where moderators see and then react to content generated by users, typically by removing it; in order to understand the work already being performed by moderators, we need to expand our understanding of what that work entails. Drawing upon interviews, participant observation, and my own experiences as a volunteer community moderator on Reddit, I propose that a significant portion of work performed by volunteer moderators is social and communicative in nature. Even the chosen case studies of large-scale esports events on Twitch, where the most visible and intense tasks given to volunteer moderators consists of reacting and removing user-generated chat messages, exposes faults in the reactive model of moderation. A better appreciation of the full scope of moderation work will be vital in guiding future research, design, and development efforts in this field.

Recasting Player Two

2016-2017: mikael jakobsson, claudia lo, kaelan doyle myerscough, richard eberhardt & dozens of game designers from near and far.

The game development industry is currently on a mission to include “non-gamers” in local co-op games. Within the development community and among players, these games are said to have a “girlfriend mode.” Developers often cast player one as an expert player in their own image, while player two is a projection of antiquated gender stereotypes who has less agency and control over their play experience. This type of interaction would be better described as mansplaining in motion. This project consists of a series of workshops with participants from the game development community, where we not just discuss and spread awareness of what is problematic with current games and development practices, but work together in creating better alternatives.

OpenRelativity

2012-2016: gerd kortemeyer, philip tan, zach sherin, ryan cheu, & steven schirra.

OpenRelativity is an open-source toolkit to simulate effects of special relativity by varying the speed of light, developed to help people create, test, and share experiments to explore the effects of special relativity. Developed by the MIT Game Lab, it contains open-source code for public use with the free and paid versions of the Unity engine. The toolkit was developed during the creation of the game A Slower Speed of Light.

Gender and Systems of Warm Interaction in Digital Games

2014-2016: kyrie caldwell (s.m., comparative media studies, 2016).

This thesis considers the ways in which digital game mechanics (interactive inputs) contribute to games’ worldbuilding. In particular, this work is concerned with the replication and reinforcement of problematic gender roles through game mechanics that express positive (“warm”) interactions between characters, namely healing, protection, and building relationships. Characters who are women and girls are often associated with physical weakness, nature-based magic, and nurturing (or absent) personalities, whereas characters who are men and boys often protect women through physical combat, heal through medical means, and keep an emotional distance from others. Relationships built through game mechanics rely on one-sided agency and potential that renders lovers and friends as characters who exist to support the player character in achieving the primary goals of the game. Even warm interactions in games carry negative, even potentially violent and oppressive, representations and that there is thusly a need for design interventions on the mechanical level to mitigate violence in game worlds and the reinforcement of negative real world stereotypes.

E-sports Broadcasting

2014-2015: jesse sell (s.m., comparative media studies, 2015).

Situating e-sports broadcasting within the larger sports media industrial complex, discussing e-sportscasters, and investigating the economics behind the growing e-sports industry. E-sports, often referred to as competitive or professional gaming, stands as a prime example of the merger of work and play. A growing body of literature has started focusing on this pastime turned profession. As more professionals enter the scene and audiences continue to grow, e-sports broadcasters look towards older models of broadcasting to inform their own style. This reapplication of former conventions stands in contrast to the trends in the larger sports media trajectory. E-sports broadcasting is largely informed by traditional sports broadcasting, yet remains unable to fully capture the success of the global sports industry. On-air talent, once informed solely by traditional sportscasters are now looking to their fellow e-sportscasters to create something new. Revenue streams which form the foundation of the sports industry are making their way into e-sports but not in the way that one might expect.

MIT Overseer: Improving Observer Experience in Starcraft 2

2013-2015: philip tan & nick mohr.

The MIT Overseer project aims to provide casters with real-time graphics to help them tell the story of a game while it is in progress. We are trying out several different ways of displaying what happened in the past of a single game and anticipating what might happen in the near future.

Subversive Game Design and Meaningful Conflict

2012-2013: konstantin mitgutsch & steven schirra.

Movers & Shakers is used as a research tool to explore how a social component influences experiences in serious games. In addition subversive game design elements are implemented in the game to foster the players’ thinking process and to get them out of unquestioned routines. In the game the players are challenged to give up their prior egoistic goals to reach their common goal – to save the world. In a nutshell, the game shifts from a competitive to a collaborational gameplay – once the players start communicating.

Playstyle Motivation Explorations

2012-2013: todd harper.

Across game genres and communities, there are as many styles of play as there are players, from the highly competitive “powergamer” to the MMO fan who’s content to just take in the scenery and everything in between. Fugue is a game that asks: what are some of the motivations behind these styles? Do players reflect themselves — or a desired projection of the self — through playstyle? Or does the shape and context of the game itself direct such decisions? In order to explore these questions, we created a small, controlled gamespace that gives players an opportunity to express themselves via play.

Procedural Puzzles as a Design Tool for Games

2011-2013: alec thomson, clara fernández-vara.

Puzzledice is a set of tools and programming libraries for procedurally generating puzzles for a wide variety of games. These tools, developed by Alec Thomson at the MIT Game Lab from 2011-2013, are the result of multiple iterations of research and were used to develop Stranded in Singapore during the 2011 summer session of the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab. Puzzledice is the result of research into how general purpose procedural puzzles can be used as a tool by game designers. These tools were designed to meet the following three goals: Solvability, Generality, and Usability.

Televisual Sports Videogames

2012-2013: abe stein (s.m., comparative media studies, 2013).

Over the three decade long history of sports videogame development, design conventions have lead to the emergence of a new sports game genre: the televisual sports videogames. These games, which usually simulate major professional or college sports, look and sound like television, and they use televised sports as a reference point for players. This thesis takes a critical look at how these televisual sports videogames are situated in the broader sports media industrial complex of North America, while also considering how the televisual design of these games is meaningful for fans of sports. Specifically, the text looks at how sports videogames reflect or reinforce dominant ideologies of hegemonic sports culture. Building on critical theories in sports studies, and through critical close readings of videogame texts, this thesis explores the relationship between sports television production, and sports videogames, with a focus on features that are found in both. Features such as introductory sequences, audio commentary, in-game advertising, news tickers, and instant replay are all commonly found in both sports television and sports videogames.

Purposeful Games for Social Change

2011-2012: konstantin mitgutsch & narda alvarado.

“ Purposeful Games for Social Change ” is a list of serious games designed to foster social change/justice or to raise awareness. This list was created in order to create the Purposeful Games Framework , a tool used to assess the cohesiveness in design of serious games.

Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab

The Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab was a six-year research initiative that addressed important challenges faced by the global digital game research community and industry, with a core focus on identifying and solving research problems using a multi-disciplinary approach that can be applied by Singapore’s digital game industry. The Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab focused on building collaborations between Singapore institutions of higher learning and several MIT departments to accomplish both research and development.

Research topics explored included artificial intelligence, game design, computer graphics and animation, character design, procedurally generated content, interactive fiction, narrative design, and video game production. Game prototypes were made for these research topics during the GAMBIT summer internship program, many of which won international recognition at festivals like IndieCade and the Independent Games Festivals held at GDC and GDC China, as well as academic conferences such as Meaningful Play and Foundations of Digital Games.

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Game Design Research

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This guide introduces resources to support your research topics in game design. You'll find a list of major databases in the field as well as tips on finding books, articles , board games and other sources.

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• Browse subject headings in databases. Subject headings are very specific terms that have been applied to an item (a book, an article, etc.) by a cataloger to summarize that item's content. Look for an online thesaurus in a database or perform a keyword search and look for the subject heading field in a few relevant items in your search results. 

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Petri Lankoski

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Game design research: An overview

Petri Lankoski and Jussi Holopainen

In: Lankoski, P. and Holopainen, J., eds., 2017. Game design research. An introduction to theory & practice. ETC Press, pp.1-24. Available at http://press.etc.cmu.edu/index.php/product/game-design-research/ (Printed book, e-pub, or free PDF)

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

The first well-known publication about computer game design was in the 1980s when Chris Crawford (1984) published his seminal The art of game design . However, Simulation & Gaming journal has been publishing about using games in research and education from the early 1970s (for example, Nagazawa, 1970). The history of business simulation games is even longer (cf. Faria et al., 2009). Game developer magazine (1994–2013) published postmortems of game development, quality control, design, game art and musics, and programming. Game development came into the spotlight in the 2000s when multiple books about game design were published (e.g., Salen and Zimmerman, 2003) and Digital Game Research Association (DiGRA) conferences provided a venue for game research and began publishing design research (e.g., Lankoski and Heliö, 2002; Martin et al., 2003; Björk, Lundgren and Holopainen, 2003).

For the purpose of the following discussion, Nigel Cross’ (1999) definition of design research as “development, articulation and communication of design knowledge” (p.5) is used. However, one needs to remember that a key aspect of research is that research is a systematic practice.  Cross argues further that the design knowledge resides in people, processes, and artifacts resulting in three different domains of design knowledge: design epistemology (the study of designerly ways of knowing), design praxiologypy (the study of practices and processes of design) and design phenomenology (the study of the form and function of the resulting artifacts).

The studies in game design research can be positioned accordingly. The game design epistemology is concerned with what kinds of knowledge game designers have and employ in their design practice. Investigations of explicit and implicit conceptual design frameworks and studies of how designers use examples from existing games to frame design situations are part of game design epistemology (cf. Chiapello, this volume). The design practices and processes, both actual and prescribed, are the focus of design praxiology. How designers work, what kinds of methods and design tools they use, and how game design is situated in the larger game development are examples of these studies. The design phenomenology has, perhaps, been the most prevalent form of game design research and covers many issues in the more general game research field such as analyses and impact studies of games.

Another useful way to make sense of the complex field of design research is to categorize it according to the goals and approaches used in the studies. Forlizzi, et al. (2009; cf. Frayling, 1993; Coulton and Hook, this volume) propose three categories: research on (or about) design, research for design, and research through design. Research on design aims to understand design as a specific human activity, including aspects such as design cognition, the role of specific activities such as sketching in design, and creativity (e.g., Holopainen, Nummenmaa and Kuittinen, 2010). The goals in research for design are to develop theories and knowledge which can be applied in the practical design work. Forlizzi, et al. (2009) list conceptual frameworks, guiding philosophies, and design implications as examples of research for design (cf. Chiapello, this volume; Dormans and Holopainen, this volume; Back and Waern, this volume). Research through design, on the other hand, is an approach to produce different kinds of design knowledge, including conceptual frameworks and design theories. As the name implies the outputs are developed through actively engaging in producing designed artifacts.

A persistent form of game design research is aiming to understand design practices or improve those practices, in other words, research for design. Game design research, however, is not only about improving existing design practices as is evident from the historical overview of game design research below. What we provide in the following discussion is not a systematic review of history of game design research, but rather an overview reflecting our histories as game design research practitioners.

Autobiographical approaches

Initial takes on game design research were typically informal or ad hoc. The driving force at the beginning was the designers’ need to better understand what they were doing and to learn from their previous work. Data about development was typically not gathered systematically and autobiographical design experiences were an important part of analytical reflections.

The roots of game design research are in informal (1) inquiries where designers started to ask how to design better games. Early examples of theorising about design include Jackson and Schuessler’ (1981) work on board game design in Game design: Volume 1: Theory & practice and Crawford’s (1984) description on development process along with design techniques and design norms in his The art of computer game design . Notably, Schuessler (in Jackson and Schuessler, 1981) uses game theory in his approach to board game design.

The discussion focussed on what is a good game and how to design those kinds of games. Design approaches are driven by norms. The following quote is an example of norms and assumptions in game design derived from an implicit understanding of what makes a good game:

Because game players become their characters, game writers should confine themselves to single-person, limited point of view. This means that the player should never be shown or told anything that the character has not experienced directly. (Laramée, 2002, p.266)

Norms and heuristics, as Niiniluoto (1993) points out, are essential for design work. The norms are (at least to some degree) a matter of taste. Norms for a game appealing to children may be quite different from the norms of a game appealing to adults. Changing the norms of a good game leads to a different set of design recommendations. For example, Witcher 3: Wild hunt (CD Project RED, 2015) was a very successful and popular game even though it breaks Laramée’s aforementioned design principles when the game switches between Geralt and Ciri. It is worth to emphasize that immersion as a design norm is not wrong, but the norm tends to promote certain design directions and demote other types of design solutions.

Designers and developers actively publish about different approaches to game development. G ame developer conference, Game developer magazine (1994–2013), and Gamasutra (1997–) magazine have been prominent venues for sharing experiences of design processes (called Postmortems following Crawford’s, 1984, terminology) and advices for best practice. More practice informed design theory and method approaches started to surface in the 2000s (e.g., Rouse, 2001; Schell, 2008). Some works are creating connections to different areas of design: Sheldon (2004) draws from dramatic writing and Totten (2014) from architecture.

Non-digital entertainment games have also been discussed by practitioners. For example, Knizia’s (2010) Dice games properly explained discusses mainly dice games from the player perspective (e.g., good strategies), but also covers design of dice games. There are vibrant hobby communities around board and roleplaying games such as Boardgame geek (boardgamegeek.com), Board game designer forum (www.bgdf.com) , RPGNet (www.rpg.net) , and the LARP focused Knutepunkt/Solmukohta (2). The design oriented discussions within these communities are often based on the designers’ own reflections on their design work and sometimes lack the analytical rigour. There are, however, exceptions, especially in the books published from Knutepunkt/Solmukohta conference series.

Comparative and conceptual approaches

The next shift happened at 1990s when to focus moved from postmortems to developing approaches to describe games. In these approaches playing games produces the data that is analysed (cf. Cross, 1999, design epistemology, praxiology, and phenomenology) to develop models, concepts, and definitions of games. Researchers and practitioners also took up the quest of defining a language to describe games. The lack of language to discuss and describe game design has been an issue for a long time. Greg Costikyan (1994) tackles the issue that game designers do not have a language to discuss and describe game design in the essay I have no words & I must design in the context of table-top roleplaying games

In his essay, Costikyan (1994) discusses what a game is and what makes a good game based on the criteria of his definition. His definition is meant to highlight the designable aspects and provide some criteria to evaluate different design decisions against the criteria of a good game. This descriptive approach along with earlier ones (Crawford, 1984, provides a definition and a taxonomy of games) are based on the needs of game designers to understand what they are designing.

As noted above, game designers have been concerning themselves with the question what is game and language to discuss game design. This form of game design research is closely connected, or indistinguishable, from game research that is looking at the questions about what games are. Elliot M. Avedon and Brian Sutton-Smith’s (1971) The study of games from 1971 is an early example where (sport, gambling) games and children’s play are regarded as artifacts, not merely as an abstract cultural category.

Salen and Zimmerman (2003), in Rules of play, Hunicke, et al. (2004) in MDA , and Elias, et al. (2012), in Characteristics of games, take a more theoretically driven approach when describing different kinds of theories and their applications to game design. Notably, Elias, et al., are focusing on board and card games in their work. Salen and Zimmerman look at games as information systems, cybernetic systems, and so on whereas Elias, et al., draw much from game theory. Hunicke, et al. present a formal analysis framework breaking games to mechanic, dynamic and aesthetic components. Salen and Zimmerman, Hunicke, et al., and Elias, et al., also provide analyses of games and play behaviors in order to provide tools to think about game design in more structured ways. In a similarly structured manner, Klabbers (2008) presents principles of the design and use of games where he connects simulation game design, a scientific tradition set-up by the Simulation & Gaming journal (1970–), to the various other domains of game design.

Björk and Holopainen(Björk, Lundgren and Holopainen, 2003; Björk and Holopainen, 2005) introduced their game design patterns approach for describing formal structures of games. They based the pattern language on the architectural design patterns by Alexander et al. (1977). Lankoski and Björk (2015a) draw on formal art analysis to provide concepts and a method to describe and analyse games. Zagal’s, et al. (2005) game ontology project aimed to provide tools for describing and analysing games using Lakoff (1987) prototype theory as a premise to build their ontology. Aki Järvinen (2008) and Joris Dormans (2012) present detailed theories on game systems and sketch theories for the relation of game system and play experience in their doctoral theses.

Totten (in this volume) traces game design via looking at games, applying historical approach from the architectural research. Bateman and Zagal (2017) track the evolution of game design features such as inventory systems.

The above review of conceptual approaches reveal a range of different approaches for describing games systems. The plurality of frameworks indicates that there is still little agreement on how to conceptualize game systems.

Research through design

Research through design has been an eminent approach in game design research beginning from the early days of Simulation & Gaming journal through Thomas Malone’s (1981; 1982) seminal work in early 1980s and Brenda Laurel’s (1986) influential doctoral dissertation Toward the design of a computer-based interactive fantasy system , although only a few of the more recent studies have identified themselves as such. In a typical research through design project the researchers design and usually implement a game or games in order to pursue a further research aim, such as developing guiding principles and conceptual frameworks (Guardiola and Natkin, this volume; Back and Waern, this volume), validating a certain design approach in serious games studies (Quinten, et al., this volume), or understanding game design as an activity (Holopainen, et al., 2010). Coulton and Hook (this volume) provide a more thorough game design practice oriented discussion, while the rest of this section highlights some of the prominent examples of research through game design.

The 1990s and early 2000s saw a rise in both academic and industry based research teams engaging in research through game design. Many of these initiatives explored the potential of (then) upcoming technologies for game development. For example, Interactive Institute’s PLAY Studio (1999–2004) in Gothenburg, Sweden, worked on location-aware (Falk, et al., 2001) and ubiquitous computing games (Björk, et al., 2002) while Mixed reality lab at University of Nottingham together the artist group Blast Theory focused on exploring mixed reality with games such as Desert rain (1999) and Can you see me now? (2001) (see Benford, et al., 2002). Finland around the same time was active in shaping the international game research community. Game research lab at University of Tampere used design-based approach in multiple projects and developed games such as The footprints of power in 2002 (cf. Ekman and Lankoski, 2004) to explore games and storytelling in interactive television and The songs of north in 2003–2004 (cf. Lankoski, et al., 2004) to understand the potential of location-aware mobile games. Nokia Research Center, also in Tampere, had several research through game design projects from 1999 onwards, often collaborating with academic research teams (e.g., Falk, et al., 2001; Suomela, et al., 2004; Holopainen, Nummenmaa and Kuittinen, 2010; Koivisto and Eladhari, 2006). Lankoski, et al. in Aalto University developed Lies and Seductions (Lankoski, et al., 2009) in order to explore character-driven game design methodology and further develop it. In addition the game aimed to study possibilities of social conflict -based gameplay (cf. Lankoski, 2010).

In 2004, the Integrated project on pervasive games (IPeRG), collected researchers from University of Nottingham’s Mixed reality lab, University of Tampere’s Game research lab, Interactive Institute’s Play studio (later Game studio), and Nokia Research Center’s Game design team. The backbone of the project was formed by the design and development of game showcases: for example, Epidemic menace (cf. Lindt, et al., 2007) and Day of figurines (cf. Flintham et al., 2007). The showcases were used to advance the understanding of pervasive game design and development and the results, including design guidelines and frameworks, are collected in Montola, et al. (2007).

Similar North-American approaches include, for example, Regan Mandryk’s and Kori Inkpen’s (2001) work on computer supported cooperative play and Carnegie Mellon’s Oz-project on interactive drama (Bates, 1992). Michael Mateas translated his expertise on believable characters built in Oz-project to games with Fa çade (cf. Mateas and Stern, 2003). The trend has since grown stronger with several research teams and centers engaging in research through design.

Academic conferences, such as ISAGA, SIGGRAPH and SIGCHI, had already published research through game design studies for a long time but several new academic venues emerged in the early 2000s. The first international conference on entertainment computing (ICEC) was held in 2001 followed by the first Advances in computer entertainment technology (ACE) conference in 2004. In addition to ICEC and ACE, newer conferences such as CHI PLAY (from 2014) and Foundations of Digital Games (from 2009) contain a substantial amount of research through design studies, though the authors may not explicitly identify their work as such.

Designing games for a purpose of gaining new knowledge, in other words research through game design, has been an integral, although often implicit, part of game research.  Discussing and criticizing research through design as an approach has made researchers more aware of their methodology in fields such as HCI (Zimmerman, Stolterman and Forlizzi, 2010; cf. Gaver, 2012). Coulton and Hook (in this volume) and Back and Waern (in this volume) discuss challenges in using research through game design later in this book.

Design and evaluation methods research

Design methods have been an integral part of general design research (Vries, Cross and Grant, 1993).  Game designers have been working on design and evaluation methods for a long time starting with autobiographical works that provide important insights for understanding game design practices within game industry. There are numerous textbooks on game design advocating different methods and techniques and there is a growing body of systematic work on game design methodology (cf., Dormans and Holopainen, this volume).  Moreover, understanding norms and assumptions behind different methods and approached is one emerging line of study (see, for example, Marcotte and Khaled, this volume).

Microsoft has been active in game design and evaluation methods from early 2000. For example, Pagulayan, et al., (2003) present user-centric design approach for games and Lazarre and Keeker (2004) described an approach for evaluating games.

Fullerton, Swain and Hoffman (2004) in their Game design workshop textbook, outline design methodology based on prototyping, iteration, and playtesting. Sweetser and Wyeth (2005) provide heuristic model based on Csikszentmihalyi’s (1990) flow theory for evaluating game enjoyment. Dorman’s (2012, 2017) M achinations design approach and tool allows simulation based fine-tuning of game systems. The design of serious games has been a hot topic and there are multiple design frameworks for them (e.g., Quinten, Malliet and Coninx, in this volume; Gunter, Kenny and Vick, 2006; Yusoff, et al., 2009; Annetta, 2010).

In addition for general game design approaches, there are also more specific methods for designing, for example, character-based games, pervasive games and education games. Lankoski (2010; cf. Lankoski, Heliö and Ekman, 2003) suggest a character-driven game design approach that draws from Egri’s (1960) method for theatre script-writing (3) and Isbister (2006) focuses on design of believable game characters based on psychological theories.

All heuristic evaluation methods and many design methods are normative: they are based on a specific norm of a good game or playing experience. These approaches promote norms such as immersion or believable game characters. Methods focusing on the design or development process do not necessarily take similar normative stances, as their focus is on the process, not in the artifacts produced. Notably, Jones (1981), writing on design methods in general, argues that changing a design method can give a new perspective to a design problem and thereby help solve it. Jones’ argument applies to game design methods: they provide a perspective intended to help to solve a design problem.

Nacke and Lindley (2008) show an approach to compare player experiences using psychophysiology and psychometrics, Pedersen, et al. (2009) describe a study about modeling play experience in relation to design features and Mourato and Santos (2010) do statistical modelling on the difficulty of platform games using play data. Cowley, et al. (2014) present an empirical study where they look at play patterns based on play data and connect that data to design patterns analysis of the game, aiming to bridge the gap between analytical design studies and empirical player studies.

Evaluation methods also have application in the research for design area. Weber, et al. (2011) exemplifies a focused look at the relationship between retention of players and game design choices. El-Nasr, Drachen and Canossa’s (2013) provide an extensive look at using game analytics to support game design.

Studio and developers at work studies

The main feature of the empirical phase is that the data of player behaviour or development practices is gathered using various methods such as interviews, observations and questionnaires; the data is not generated by researchers playing games by themselves or by designers reflecting their on own development experiences. An early example of an interview-based study of hobby game production is Laukkanen’s (2005) study on game modding and modders.

From the late 2000s onward multiple researchers have been examining projects within commercial game companies. Hagen (Hagen, 2009; 2011) interviewed designers and analysed material from various early design phase in order to understand the ideation process at the early stage of game development. Based on a year of ethnographic work, Malaby (2009) presents a study about how Linden Lab approaches their development work on Second Life (2003–). Peltoniemi (2009) and Kultima (2010) look at the development cultures within game companies. O’Donnell (2014) has been conducting ethnographic studies about design practices in studios covering both the pre-production phase and the production phase and extending his analysis to how market forces shape design and development work. Koleva, et al. (2015) provides another study looking at actual development processes using ethnomethodology and a questionnaire.

Developers have been interviewed in multiple studies to develop understanding various aspects of development process. Kultima has studied innovation in companies (Kultima, 2010) and the role of iteration in game development (Kultima, 2015) by interviewing developers. Tschang (2007) has looked at how developers balance between creativity and different types of constraints (such as resources, increasing complexity, and coherence within a game) in game development. Sandovar (in this volume) and Marcotte and Khaled (in this volume) provide two additional perspectives to study indie developers’ practices.

Game jams have been providing an alternative channel for looking at development processes. For example, Zook and Riedl (2013) studied conceptualisation and Kultima, Alha, and Nummenmaa (2016) analyzed the role of constraints in development processes in game jams.

Where are we now; what next

Our historical look at game design research divides work into the headings of: conceptual approaches; research through design; design and evaluation methods; and studies of studios and developers at work.  Many research cases focus on these aspects but extend into other directions as well. However, our review of game design research builds on our own histories as researchers. Systematic review of the area would be needed for building better understanding what is happening in the field. Nevertheless, we have shown that game design research consists of various different approaches with the common aim of gaining insight by looking as games as design processes or systems, including how the systems shape play and experience. This means that a large body of game research is not game design research: for example, MMO studies that look at play in MMOs, but do not consider how game systems modulate and regulate play. There the focus is understanding play as play without intention to gain knowledge on (game) design of MMOs.

Conceptual approaches have centered around the definition of a game (or gameplay) relate to philosophy of design (cf. Galle, 2002) and analytical philosophy. Tavinor (2009) illustrates in The art of videogames how game studies in general would benefit from better philosophical rigour when developing definitions (pp.15–33). His argument is relevant also to game design research.  The areas of philosophy of science in game design research and the ethics of game design are rarely studied. Kultima (in this volume) reflects on the ontology of game design research and Chiapello (in this volume) discusses the epistemology of game design research. Sicart (2009, pp.207–221) in his The ethics of computer games looks at the ethics of game design as a part of his project to understand ethics of games and play in a more general sense. We hope to see more research in the future into the area of philosophy of design.

Many modern 3D games model urban and rural spaces. Totten (in this volume) shows how a historical research approach (cf. Wang and Groat, 2013) drawn from architecture can used in game design research. Architectural research and research in urban design has a long tradition (e.g., the Journal of Urban Planning has been running from 1996 and Architectural Research Quarterl y from 1995) in topics relating to game spaces. While the research and research approaches in architecture and urban planning might not be directly applicable to research of game spaces and the use of game spaces, game design research still can learn from the approaches used in those areas.

As we have illustrated above game design research provides theories (4) that are fundamentally normative; these theories make claims about the qualities of good games and how to design good games. However, scientific design theories are not purely normative, but rather build on descriptive theories of games, the relation between play and game, or play experience. (cf. Wang and Groat, 2013, pp.109–122; Niiniluoto, 1993; Chiapello, this volume.) The nature, role and construction of these game design theories remains largely unexplored (Dormans and Holopainen, this volume). Friedman (2003) and Redström (2017), for example, have argued that constructing or making design theories is essential for advancing the knowledge in the field, ultimately leading to better practices and products. We hope that this book contributes to the exploration and articulation of how and why to make game design theories.

Above we have outlined and categorized types of game design research. We presented autobiographical approaches, comparative and conceptual approaches, research through design, design and evaluation methods research, and studio and developers at work studies. Each of these have a different focus on what kind of knowledge the researchers are interested in. Moreover, different research types complement each other providing understanding relating game design, its products and processes. The following chapters continue in describing game design research in more detail from various point of views.

• Informal is used to denote approaches where the presented results are not a result based on systematic investigation of a topic using a method to study the topic.
• Knutepunk/Solmukohta is a yearly conference for live-action role-players and designers.
• Egri’s approach has been utilized, at least, in more autobiographical works of Sheldon (2004) and Krawczyk and Novak (2006).
• Following Mautner’s (2005, p.426) simple definition of a theory: “a set of propositions which provides principles of analysis or explanation of a subject matter. Even a single proposition can be called a theory.”

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Petri Lankoski, D.Arts, is a Associate Professor in Game Studies at the school of Communication, Media and IT at the Södertörn University, Sweden. His research focuses on game design, game characters, role-playing, and playing experience. Petri has been concentrating on single-player video games but researched also (multi-player) pnp and live-action role-playing games. This blog focuses on his research on games and related things. View more posts

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What Game Design topic should i cover for my thesis?

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Any of these topics good to research and good idea to write for my final thesis? Also any suggestion are much appreciated.

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UX Research in game development: an essential explainer

During game development, we’re a little in the dark about how players might experience and respond. That’s where UX research comes into play.

November 3, 2023

During game development, we’re a little in the dark about how players might experience and respond to the projects we’re working on. That’s where UX research comes into play to help cast a light in the darkness — so we can look before we leap and make measured decisions up front, rather than unexpected reactions later. At the same time, if something isn’t going as expected UX research can help us to right the ship and get back on track.

Hello everyone, we are Maria Amirkhanyan and Anna Dedyukhina, we are UX researchers at MY.GAMES. In this article, we’ll talk about why UX research should be carried out in game development, the benefits it holds, how conducting it differs at various stages of development, explain in detail the research methods generally used, and we’ll describe a number of cases where these approaches have been applied. In MY.GAMES we’re driven by product success, and our focus is on creating games that become leaders within their categories. UX research helps us achieve this — the results of the research allow us to improve the user experience, respond to the needs of our audience and solve problems quickly.

Defining UX

To properly understand UX research, we’ll first need to define UX itself. UX, or “User Experience” is the complete experience a user has when interacting with a product. In the realm of video games, players are the users, and the game is the product.

UX is often discussed in tandem with UI (User Interface), but UX is actually a broader concept: UI primarily concerns the interface, while UX involves core gameplay, meta gameplay, all the mechanics, setting, the conceptual goal of a game, the complexity of the game, and so on — in general, absolutely everything with which the player can interact.

As hinted, UX touches a large number of gameplay aspects: the convenience of gameplay and interface, an understanding the rules of the game, the difficulty curve, intuitive sense of control, and much more. Further, each of these aspects has its own idiosyncrasies for different genres and audiences.

Nice design, but users endure a really bad UX

Why do we conduct UX research?

There are many factors that influence player comfort, and we conduct UX research to try and understand them all.

It’s important to mention that UX research isn’t about detecting and dealing with bugs or anything directly involving the technical components of a game. Instead, UX research is about actual player perception of a game, its mechanics, and interface.

UX research comes in handy during the development process, because, normally, we’d never really know how real players will think, what they would do, or the reasons behind some of their behavior. UX research allows us to make informed development decisions and to save time and money. (After all, it’s more convenient to know in advance how to do things right, instead of later redoing everything a thousand times.)

Additionally, UX research is valuable during the lifecycle of a game. Over time, any game will tend to lose part of its audience. While the most active users will describe their reasons for leaving, some others rarely leave feedback, so we can only guess their motivation for doing so.

The UX research process

Let’s have a brief description of the UX research process:

We select a player that matches the target audience of our product.

We ask them to play our game the way they usually do. (Otherwise, users tend to test the game and try to “break” it — but we’re interested in their usual behavior).

At this point, we observe the player and their emotions. Tracking emotions is difficult, so sometimes we use things like AI to track emotions via facial expressions, or psychophysiological tools like electroencephalography (EEG) or galvanic skin response (GSR) equipment. EEG allows us to more accurately determine emotions and GSR helps identify how tense or excited a player is. But unlike EEG, GSR cannot identify if excitement is positive or not, we might see something, but we find the reason by interviewing players. Sometimes, we’ll also use an eye-tracking system.

We request players fill out questionnaires.

We ask questions (many questions). We’ll give specific examples in the second article in the series.

That’s it, finished!

In this illustration by UX Lab’s Ekaterina Lisovskaya, opossums demonstrate the research process

The benefits of UX research

UX research often allows us to find problems that aren’t obvious to developers. Let’s get specific to illustrate: a good example of such a problem that made it into the final game is the mini-map in Cyberpunk 2077. In the game, the mini-map is too zoomed-in and cannot be zoomed out. When a player is driving to a marker, they often fail to make a turn in time, since the map does not move away during movement. As a result, players crash and get upset. Of course, if you’re looking at the mini-map non-stop, you can compensate for this, but then players would miss all the beauty of Night City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtgnAabn15k

Because of the mini-map, players constantly miss turns; bad physics and pedestrians jumping under the wheels only make the situation worse.

Could this feature have been implemented better? Sure, and it has been. For instance, in GTA V, the map zooms in and out based on whether a player is inside a vehicle or going at it on foot. This allows players to plan and anticipate their movements without any problem, since all turns are easily visible on the mini-map in advance.

In GTA V, the scale of the mini-map changes depending on the speed of transport

In terms of UX, we can steer clear of issues like the aforementioned Cyberpunk 2077 mini-map quirk by following a few rules during the development stage:

Meticulously observing player behavior

Taking into account the original purpose of a mechanic

Keeping in mind the kind of behavior we expect from players

Checking if the game provides the necessary conditions for a player to be able to perform the desired actions

This problem could’ve been avoided if the developers had done a competent UX study — but they probably didn’t. There are various reasons for this: perhaps there was not enough time, not enough budget, other problems were prioritized instead, or they didn’t have time to fix neither technical problems, nor UX problems.

UX research at different stages of game development

In the gaming world, the development timeline usually looks like this:

During each of these stages, we can conduct UX research, although the form it takes can be different depending on the point a project is at in the timeline. Let’s take a look at each of the stages above in terms of conducting UX research.

Concept. Any product begins development with an idea and a concept. We think about the genre, the content, what we expect from the game, and we also create documentation, prepare art, and take into account the type of monetization.

At this early stage can we already be researching something? Yes! We can test our hypotheses about the audience, and study this (what players like or dislike). It’s possible to decide which features should be added to the game (and which shouldn’t). We could also choose a setting, and try to understand whether our target audience will like it (for example, casual players are unlikely to be happy with the gloomy setting of Darkest Dungeons).

Prototype. Prior to this stage, perhaps we could only “chat” with players and discuss ideas, but with the help of a prototype, users can actually try features out. Moreover, you can give them a task to see how they’ll solve it, for example, “Let’s say you need to upgrade your character, how would you do it?”.

With a more developed visualization, it will be easier for a potential player to imagine a feature. The better testers understand how a feature works, the more reliable the results of the study. At this stage, we continue to test our ideas, discuss what we want to add (and in what format), and judge if we’re moving in the right direction.

Vertical Slice. Finally, the project is playable with some typical gameplay! This is the “golden stage”. We can collect feedback from our vertical slice, understand what the gameplay feels like, how features function, the convenient and inconvenient things for players, and so on. At this time, we’ll also start active game playtests.

Production. This is the longest stage of development. Levels and locations are added and the world is developing. And this all can (and should) be tested. Of course, if you ‘ve added just one small detail, this is probably not a good enough reason for running testing, but big things are definitely worth checking out with players. You can test some features locally or run quarterly large tests during this development phase.

Closed and open beta tests. By this time, the game has a lot of content and only requires polishing. You can finally give game access to a large number of users. We’ll combine our methods: we conduct detailed tests with some players, while others play on their own, then fill out a questionnaire. At this stage, you can understand how the audience is evaluating the gameplay, visual appearance, and the game as a whole.

It’s also worth thinking about features according to criteria of importance and implementation quality. For example, if a feature is not good enough, and it’s not particularly important to the players, then you should ask yourself: “Do I need to keep it?”. If a feature is important, but the quality of the implementation is low, then it definitely needs to be worked on first.

Release. It might seem like you can relax after release, but in fact, work is just beginning! Next up is game localization, support, operations, updates, patches, DLC, retention efforts, and so much more.

Gaming UX research methods at a glance

Many of the methods described below will be familiar to those familiar with UX research in general. However, it’s important to note the specifics that distinguish UX research involving video games from banking applications or online stores.

Each of the methods is worthy of a length article of its own, but in this post, we’ll briefly outline each of the main approaches: how to use them, and what to consider whether you’re about to conduct research for the first time, or for the n-th time.

1. Playtesting

Playtests are the main research tool in the gaming context; they allow us to learn about a complete gaming experience, and evaluate both the individual features and the overall impression of a full-fledged product.

As part of a playtest, we invite people to play our project or prototype and ask them to share their impressions. Meanwhile we observe the playtesting process, ask questions, and identify important problems and insights. Unlike a usability test, we don’t interfere with the game process in order to avoid distracting the participant, and we ask our questions after the session or during pauses (for example, while a screen is loading).

Playtests allow you to detect problems with basic mechanics, interfaces, meta gameplay, visual quality and authenticity, general impressions and many specific things that interest the team.

Playtests can differ in terms of format and the presence (or absence) of a moderator:

We can have a remote format (via Zoom, Discord, and so on) where participants can share their screen using the app or stream with YouTube or Twitch. The advantage here is that the respondent can play in a familiar environment, and moreover, the geography of possible participants greatly expands — we can collect data from foreign players or residents of remote places. The main disadvantage is that it’s more difficult to establish contact between moderator and participant, which also makes it hard to detect non-verbal signals.

We can also do an offline format where a participant plays right next to us in the office. The advantage is that we can closely observe the process, right down to how they use the controller. The disadvantage is that a participant tends to be more stressed and may feel uncomfortable in an unfamiliar environment, or play differently when using someone else’s equipment.

Moderation:

With a moderated format , a moderator observes the game and can engage in real-life communication with the participant. This is a plus because it increases our chances of collecting the most in-depth information and picking up on unexpected insights. The disadvantage is that it’s time-consuming and quite expensive.

An unmoderated format is conducted on third party platforms. The respondent independently goes through the game and records their screen, giving comments along the way. At the end, they’ll fill out questionnaires and answer open questions. The advantage: this takes little time and it’s possible to interview many people. The disadvantage: it’s more difficult to gain certain insights, because there is no way to ask the player something directly during the play test.

Case study — HAWK: Freedom Squadron

With HAWK: Freedom Squadron, the team received feedback that their game was boring and inferior to competitors; this was despite the fact that their sales figures suggested the opposite.

To make sure that this feedback wasn’t just a random person’s unfounded opinion, the developers decided to playtest HAWK and two other competitors, in particular, to evaluate player engagement at the start of each experience. Players spent 15 minutes in each game discussing their experience and completing the GEQ and MDT questionnaires. The order of games was random to avoid any influence on their perception.

In the end, the initial comment was confirmed — the game was indeed inferior to all competitors in terms of emotional engagement. After three months of improvements and changes, the team retested the updated version and had reached top levels of engagement, as well as increasing their retention rates.

2. Interview

An interview is a study which involves direct communication with a player in a dialogue format in order to gain a deeper understanding of their motivations, impressions, and thoughts. An interview is often conducted as part of another research method (for example, during a playtest, we always start with an interview about the player, and we end with a discussion of the game).

During an interview, you can ask any questions of interest to developers: how do users buy games? What do they expect from the project based on marketing materials? What do they think about certain mechanics and meta gameplay elements?

Interviews can be conducted both online, and offline, depending on the capabilities and objectives of the study. Sometimes you can even ask questions via quick messages: doing so makes it easier to find a convenient time and gives the participant a chance to answer whenever they can; on the other hand, this practice lengthens the process and reduces the data reliability — there’s higher chances of getting a “well-weighed” and “desirable” answer, rather than an actual, true first impression.

Case study — a multiplayer FPS

With this case, the team was facing reduced returning player conversion, and the developers wanted to understand how to fix their problem.

Resolving questions like these require deep discussion with participants; you need to find out their experiences, desires, and problems with the game. Because of this, we decided to conduct interviews and focus groups in tandem with questionnaires to assess different group characteristics and needs.

Different types of players were invited: beginners who played the game and left (as well as those who are now actively playing the game), and experienced players who recently left the game, (as well as those who returned to thame game after a break).

From each of the surveyed groups, we ended up with data on their needs, barriers, and attitudes towards various aspects and features of the game. Based on those results, it became clearer what motivated players to return to the game, as well as what discouraged them from doing so. Additionally, studying newcomers to this game helped highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the project, the shortcomings of the tutorials, and the complexity of some systems.

3. Diary studies

During a diary study, respondents play or interact with a product over several days. This is useful, for example, if we want to explore issues with player retention after the first day, or player impressions of a quest line that takes a few hours to complete.

Diary studies can, of course, be carried out both offline and online. In most cases, an online format is preferred. This type of research is also divided into several types:

Unmoderated : participants play and record each session. At the end of each session or day, they complete a questionnaire which provides the researchers with feedback, and next they can compare the experience of different days. As with other methods, the main disadvantage is the inability to ask flexible questions.

Moderated : a moderator observes the process and discusses all important issues during the playtests. You can get a lot of insights, but it’s long and very expensive.

Hybrid : a moderated session (or sessions) is conducted and supplemented with unmoderated playtests with questionnaires. For example, we communicate with the players and observe the first hour of the game, and the rest of the week the participants play independently and leave feedback in questionnaires. Or they always play on their own, but at the end we have a call and discuss all the questions we have. This option is useful, as you can collect most of the data without the participation of the researcher, and then ask important questions to get some insights.

Case study — Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

For Pathfinder, during the beta stage, it was important to understand the target audience’s attitude towards the new game, if they liked the prologue, and whether the main mechanics and features were clear.

We quickly understood that we couldn’t collect such impressions in one playtest run — we needed to let the players play for quite a long time. As a result, we decided to conduct diary studies where respondents played three days for two or three hours in order to complete the prologue and form a comprehensive impression of the game.

We invited the target audience to take part in the test, these included Pathfinder players (computer and desktop), as well as CRPG lovers.

In the end, we learned that players didn’t understand character presets and abilities; during the prologue, they learned mechanics via huge, difficult-to-understand texts, and while the most important skills were highlighted in the character traits interface, that didn’t help much, because it was just too confusing. Upon receiving the results of this research, the team significantly redesigned the interface elements, making them more intuitive and understandable — this improved the player experience and retained engagement.

4. Usability tests

A usability test (or UT) is an experience assessment tool that allows you to evaluate the feasibility of key scenarios of player behavior, the clarity and convenience of the interface, and other hypotheses. You can test interfaces and prototypes, websites, and other related products.

It’s important to note that you can test the interface outside the game — for instance, with a separate prototype, since the focus of the method is precisely the interface, and not the accompanying gameplay.

Tests assume the presence of specific hypotheses and tasks that our players perform. For example, it’s important for us to check the navigation of menu sections and character leveling — in this case, we can give the player the task like “Imagine that you need to level up your hero. How would you do it?”

Upon completion of the task (successful or unsuccessful), the player is asked whether or not they succeeded, how difficult it was, and we also make more targeted queries that highlight specific pain points and behaviors.

It’s worth noting that playtests often include elements of UT, where a moderator, after a free game session, gives specific tasks to test hypotheses and scenarios. In terms of format, UTs, like playtests, can be conducted both offline and online, moderated and unmoderated.

Case study — a news website

When developing the site, the team wondered if the current news feed was convenient. In order to understand how users interact with the news and what difficulties they experience, they decided to conduct a UT with an eye tracker (a tool for recording a respondent’s eye movement, identifying the direction and duration of gaze fixation on particular interface elements) to understand how their users read the news.

They found out that the current “double” news feed (news items with text headings on the left news items with large photos in the center) didn’t work well: users ignored the central part or were forced to mentally “jump” from one block to another. Taking this into account, the team decided on a complete news redesign, creating a single feed with filters so that all the news was in one place, and uninteresting ones could be hidden.

5. Questionnaires

Questionnaires allow you to collect specific data on important issues, summarize impressions and compare them at different stages of the game. They are the main tool for quantitative research, but also an important part of qualitative research. (I’ve already mentioned them several times when discussing various methods, especially unmoderated approaches.)

In addition to custom questionnaires, you can also use standardized tools:

The Microsoft Desirability Tool (MDT)

The Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ)

The Presence Involvement Flow Framework (PIFF)

The Core Elements of Gaming Experience Questionnaire (CEGEQ)

As part of this research, either one or a combination of several questionnaires can be used. To illustrate, we like to use MDT: it allows you to assess the overall evaluative impression of a game through a list of adjectives.

In addition, we also utilize GEQ, which operationalizes and measures the most important characteristics of the game in a universal format:

Sensory and Imaginative Immersion (the game universe)

Competence (ease of performing gaming tasks)

Flow (dynamics, immersion in the game)

Challenge (motivation to act)

Negative displays of emotion

Positive displays of emotion

These results are then conveniently able to be compared between games (or over time) to detect changes and improvements.

Case study — Athanor

With mobile card game Athanor, the team wanted to understand how their games were perceived and whether they needed work. Of course, it was impossible to cover such a complex question with simple questionnaires, so the method included a playtest with eye-tracking and interview elements. GEQ was measured both before and after the game session in order to compare the expected and perceived results.

We invited mobile game players who were fans from a range of genres:

Fans of farm games

Fans of construction games

Fans of battlers

Fans of card games

According to our GEQ, the games seemed more difficult than at first sight. At the same time, there were differences of perception between the different groups. The game turned out to be too difficult for “farmers”, unsuitable for “builders”, but quite interesting and difficult enough for “battlers”. At the same time, the main target audience of the card game players — fans of card games — considered Athanor too boring.

How to prepare for a study

Before conducting research, any team should ask themselves some questions: “What do we want to know? Do we need general feedback on the pace of the game, on the clarity of the meta game play, on ease of controls, or on how our players navigate the menu? Or are we trying to understand if players like the balance update in the new patch?”

Depending on the goals and hypotheses of the study, as well as its audience, the approach to tests and the duration of the study may be different.

1. Hypotheses

When beginning any research, we formulate some hypotheses — questions and assumptions about how the current version of the product is perceived by the player and how they will interact with it. It’s important to collect hypotheses from all those involved: developers, designers, support, and business folks. After accumulating all the hypotheses, it’s then necessary to define the general ones and most important ones that can be fit into one study. If it turns out that the hypotheses are all about different things and there are many of them, it makes sense to carry out separate studies.

Here are some examples of hypotheses:

“Players cannot find how to upgrade their character”

“Players don’t understand who is an ally and who is an enemy on the map”

“Players don’t like the dialogue of the characters”

The more specific the hypothesis, the more accurate the questions we’ll ask players, and the better the final results of the study.

2. Formulating a scenario

Regardless of the method chosen, our research needs a scenario, that is, a document that describes the expectations of respondent behavior and what questions will be asked. A scenario isn’t a fixed template, but an auxiliary document for the session with the respondent, which helps you not miss any important points.

The classic scenario usually includes the following parts:

● The lead-in : introduce yourself to the respondent and outline the rules of the study. Make clear that the test will be recorded, elaborate on NDA restrictions, possible difficulties with prototypes, the importance of candid answers, and so on.

● Getting to know the respondent : establish contact with the respondent and clarify some data with them. At this stage, it’s extremely important to win over the respondent, and let them freely express their opinion. At the same time, this stage is an ideal time to make sure that the respondent has been correctly selected: do they have relevant experience? Are they familiar with relevant games or terminology needed to participate?

● Tasks/questions/topics : this includes a description of the main content of the study. The interview scenario may feature key topics and questions for discussion and a playtest scenario, the set of tasks and hypotheses to be tested.

● The final part is drawing up the conclusions, collecting additional feedback, and saying goodbye to the respondent.

3. The gaming process

The team also needs to decide how much the player should play in order to answer questions of interest.

On average, the first session test in mobile games lasts 10–20 minutes, while for more complex PC games, it can take up to 1.5–2 hours; in this case, you can limit yourself to one playtest.

If the game is multiplayer, it’s important to think through the playtest process. It’s necessary to gather enough people for the game session, and think about replacements or solutions in case someone is unable to start the game or simply doesn’t show up.

It’s better to gather all participants in one space (for example, in a general chat or channel) in order to promptly communicate and solve problems. We like to use Discord for group tests — it’s convenient for communicating with everyone at once and you can separate people into different groups.

If you realize that it will take more than two hours to test all the hypotheses, then you should think about conducting diary research, or dividing the research by features.

4. Audience

At the start of each study, the hottest topic is the audience: who should we invite to the test? How many participants should there be? How much will it cost?

Depending on goals, the degree of prototype readiness, the desires, and capabilities of the team, it’s possible to conduct tests with external respondents or colleagues, friends and acquaintances (friends & family). Conducting research with friends and family is faster and cheaper to organize because we don’t have to pay our respondents.

Meanwhile, developers and designers can provide useful feedback on technical details and share their insights from professional experience. However, it’s important to remember that such feedback is not always close to the impressions of an inexperienced player. Additionally, the team must be prepared that internal research tends to give lower scores and harsh feedback. We invite real players to external research: the potential target audience could be gamers from another game if new experience is evaluated, or drawn from our current players if experienced user impressions are important. Selection requirements differ from project to project and should reflect the target audience, for example:

Frequency of game sessions

Experience in specific genres or games (or absence of experience)

When conducting playtests, it’s also important to follow technical requirements — if a game or prototype only runs on high-end devices, then you need to look for people with the relevant equipment. You also need to make sure that a respondent has a fast and stable Internet connection for the test.

The number of respondents depends primarily on the design of the study, finances, and the structure of the target audience. If a team wants to evaluate some indicators or features and compare them later then you need to conduct a quantitative study on at least 60 people.

If it’s important to understand the reasons for player behavior, their motivation and thoughts, then a qualitative study is needed. Each specific target group should include at least four or five people in order to obtain valid data.

Correct selection of the target audience for the game test is one of the most important parts of preparation: for example, in Elden Ring and other souls-like games, the target audience is quite “hardcore” — these gamers like challenges and like to go through games using trial and error. If we decide to test a game’s onboarding process, and we pick only casual players, we’ll surely get negative feedback and lots of misunderstandings, because the first mini-boss will easily kill the player to show how difficult the upcoming player path will be.

But this doesn’t mean that we should only invite hardcore respondents who know how to work with these types of games. This would also distort the data about the opening section, since experienced players might not notice the over-complexity or lack of information, as they are already used to playing games like this.

Case study: a multiplayer FPS

The team wanted to test the onboarding process for both newcomers and returning players after a significant interface remake.

When selecting the criteria for participants, it was important for us to correctly pick people with relevant interests and the presence/absence of experience. The team also set priorities regarding their target audience, choosing mainly male players from the two geographical markets where the game has the most popularity.

We settled on 2 groups of players, male, with ages ranging from 18–35.

Group 1 was composed of 8 total newcomers to the game (4 from each geographical market). These players were gamers who actively play online PC shooters (no less than 5 hours per week), and who had never played the multiplayer FPS we were testing before.

Group 2 was composed of 8 total returning players to the game (again, 4 from each geographical market). These players had played the game we were testing more than 8 months before the test, and thus had not been exposed to the update. Additionally, all these respondents had reached at least the 20th rank (this requires a significant time investment and implies extensive game experience.)

5. Planning and conducting

Depending on the capabilities of the company, research can be carried out by professionals within the company (UX researchers), trained team members (e.g., designers) or external agencies.

In terms of financial cost and budget, quite often money is most often spent simply attracting respondents. If we need more participants, and especially if we need specific, unique requirements from them, the organization of the project will be more expensive and more difficult.

Here’s some estimates based on our experience (a project with a simple recruitment, 2022 prices).

Internal research:

Payment for one English-speaking (USA, Europe) respondent per hour: $60. (Recruitment platforms typically charge 50% as a service fee.)

Payment for one respondent from Asia (Japan, Korea, China): about $90–100

USA/Great Britain: $13,000–23,000

Japan/Korea: $25,000–40,000

If the budget is tight, you can do the following:

Search for respondents yourself : in this case, you won’t have to pay a commission fee to the platforms, but the process will be slow and will require a dedicated employee (or even several)

Invite friends and coworkers as respondents : friends and family tests have their limitations, but are always much cheaper

Reduce the scale of the study : ask yourself if you need to research all and everything by asking the player to take a two-hour playtest? Or can the key hypothesis be tested in a shorter session? Think about whether it’s important for you now to cover all the TA groups — maybe you should concentrate on the core or potential players.

During development, testing and improving a game is always worth it. Plus after release, we can get some clear analytics that we can use to track what’s happening with players and understand why they churn.

But despite the benefits of UX research, it’s still not a magic bullet. Research can help save time and budget, optimize development, and facilitate decision making, but all the information received must still pass through the team’s expertise filter.

When starting your research, it’s always important to know the questions you’re aiming to answer and how your results will be used. Only good, thought-out preparation (on the part of both researchers and the product team) will allow you to choose the right method and respondents, as well as obtain relevant insights.

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About the Author(s)

Maria Amirkhanyan

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IDS 101: Tabletop Game Design

• Find Sources
• Request Materials (ILL)
• Develop a Topic
• Search Efficiently
• Using AI Content
• Personal Librarians
• Blooket Quiz

Learn how to develop a strong research question for a research paper by considering six important criteria.

( Scribbr video, length 4:18 minutes)

Developing a Topic. Step 1: Brainstorm Topic Ideas

Before you develop your research topic or question, you'll need to do some background research.

Getting Started

• Review class readings, handouts, notes, textbook for ideas.
• Browse encyclopedias and credible websites.
• Browse library databases on current events.
• Discuss potential topics with your instructor, a librarian, or classmate.
• Consider researching a certain era or period of time, geographic location, or groups.

Feeling stuck? Ask yourself the following questions:

• Was there a news story that interested you?
• What aspect of your class would you like to learn more about?
• What issue or interest would you like to know more about?

Step 2: Identify Keywords

Terminology Matters

Before you can begin searching for information, you need to develop keywords related to your topic. The keywords you develop and use to conduct research will influence your search results. Keywords and phrases can be found by examining:

• Encyclopedias and scholarly articles
• Bibliographies found at the end of articles and books
• Consulting a thesaurus to identify synonyms
• Talking with a librarian, your instructor, or classmate.

Concept Map

You can also use a concept map to visually organize thoughts and illustrate relationships between concepts and ideas.

Step 3: Find Background Information

Once you have identified keywords, you are ready to collect background information on your topic. As you research, note important words, phrases, and concepts that sources mention and use them to locate additional information.

Background information can be found in:

• encyclopedias
• databases like CQ Researcher
• browsing the Internet

Why bother with background research?

Background research serves many purposes, including:

• It provides an overview of the subject matter, which might be new to you.
• It assists with identifying relevant information for your topic, including dates, events, and relevant terminology.
• It will lead you to additional sources of information.
• It will aid in narrowing your topic.

Step 4: Develop Research Questions

Write it down

Once you have a topic idea, it is helpful to write everything you know or don't know about it down. From there, use that information to formulate questions. Avoid asking closed questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Instead, ask open-ended questions that prompt you to explore different aspects of the topic.

Try filling in the blanks in the following sentence:

• I want to research ___(what/who)___
• and ___(what/who)___
• in ___(where)___
• during ___(when)___
• because ___(why)___.

Step 5: Refine Your Topic

It is important to consider the scope of your topic. If it is too broad, it might be difficult to find relevant information. If your topic is too narrow, it might be tough to find any information at all. Generally, it is a good strategy to start out with a slightly broad topic that you can further develop and narrow as you find information.

• Too broad: "History or women"
• Better: "History of female gender roles in Afghanistan during the 20th century"
• Too narrow: "Current child-rearing practices of women in Kabul, Afghanistan”
• Better: “How gender roles in Afghanistan impact the lives of women”

Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be.

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110 Video Game Topic Ideas for Essays & Examples

🔝 top 10 video game topics for 2024, 🏆 best video game topic ideas & essay examples, 🎮 good video game research topics, 🕹️ interesting gaming topics to write about, ❓ video game research questions, ✅ simple & easy video game essay topics.

Looking for video game topics for your project? Look no further! Here, we’ve collected excellent essay topics for true gaming enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking for argumentative essay ideas on video games, research topics, or questions for debate, you will find them here.

• History of Video Game Consoles
• Myths of Video Game Violence
• The Global Phenomenon of Esports
• VR Gaming and Its Future Possibilities
• How Video Games Influence Cognitive Skills
• Therapeutic Mental Health Benefits of Video Games
• Diversity and Gender Representation in Video Games
• How Multiplayer Games Impact Social Interaction
• Healthy Gaming Habits Against Video Game Addiction
• Aesthetic and Narrative Qualities of Artistic Video Games
• Product Life Cycle & Marketing of Video Game Industry One of the most important advantages of the concept of life cycle can be seen in the sphere of marketing, where if used as a tool it allows adjusting the strategies, including marketing, based on […]
• The Video Game Industry Evolution The first mention of the creation of such games dates back to the 1940s, but it was in 1952 that Alexander Shafto “Sandy” Douglas officially presented his dissertation at the University of Cambridge. One of […]
• The “Medal of Honor” Video Game Analysis The game is set to depict the Afghanistan invention in 2002 and the battle between the U.S.military and the Taliban. Due to the close resemblance of the game to the Afghanistan war, the game has […]
• FIFA 10 Football Simulation Video Game A lack of consistency is evident in the various versions of this game as FIFA 10 played on a PC lacks the realism that is exhibited when the game is played on XBOX 360 and […]
• Video Game Addiction and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs As to me, I was interested in video games when I was a child because this industry was at its beginning and almost every pupil was involved in it.
• Sony and Nintendo in the Video Game Industry The firm has manufactured several generations of the home console since the 1980s, beginning with the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in the early 1990s, and the Nintendo 64 that was […]
• Video Game Effects: Good or Bad? Given the fact that there is indeed a logically sound rationale to such a suggestion, throughout the course of conducting my study, I remained thoroughly observant of the article’s classification-related suggestions, in regards to the […]
• The Monopoly Tycoon Video Game Review The game is stylistically similar to the board game Monopoly, and it can be played both online and offline. It is important to note that the game has a multiplayer feature, which can be played […]
• A Video Game Store’s Business Plan The projected cash flow of the cash in the balance sheet will appear positive for the next five years and will show that the company’s profitability in will be good enough pay for operating expenses […]
• The NASCAR Video Game Project Management Plan The plan attempts to draw the features and gameplay mechanics by replicating the thought process of a potential player. At this stage, the game should be well-advertised and ready for release.
• The Motivation of the Video Game Player For instance, the project gave its players the dynamic and fast pace of the game, a vast and detailed map, various locations, several different weapons, and character skins, and this is not all the possibilities.
• Human Life: Video Game, Simulation, or Reality? Drawing parallels between the real and the virtual world, one can admit the unreality of the existence of the planet and people and compare everything that happens with the simulation in which we are.
• Does Video Game Violence Lead to Aggression in Children? Among the gaming community, children participate vigorously in absorbing the plethora of entertaining content, including age-restricted ones where the scenes of violence are abundant.
• A Role-Playing Video Game Ayiti: The Cost of Life This strategy worked but not to the topmost level simply because the burden of the living cost was gradually weighing down the overall income of my family.
• BioWare Video Game Project Management For example, Dragon Age: Inquisition, the third installment of the company’s flagship series, switched to the Frostbite engine used by most of the EA games and succeeded in delivering the product despite the technical difficulties […]
• Video Game History: Overview From the 1990s to Nowadays In addition to arcade car behavior, the game was also famous for its beautiful graphics at the time, with each game in the series being a launch title showing the capabilities of the console.
• Video Game Delivery Project: Strategic Marketing To initiate strategies in marketing of Video Game, the company will decide to develop a web based application by ABC CORP and this application is customized to meet the requirements of the project. The purpose […]
• The U.S. Video Game Industry This was also based on the views of the company’s developers who assumed that the technological advantages of the the16-bit system were extremely less than that of the 8-bit system.
• Video Game Company Against Online Piracy The purpose of the said DRM software is to protect the intellectual rights of the company. The fourth major issue is the encompassing goal of the VGC to end all types of piracy.
• Twitch.tv and Video Game Streaming Career From this point, in spite of the fact that the Twitch.tv platform can be viewed as belonging to the live-streaming industry, the careers of streamers develop according to the traditional principles of the entertainment business.
• Nintendo in the Video Game Industry Previously, Atari was a major power to reckon with in the industry but was later toppled by Nintendo. Part of Yamauchi’s vision was to introduce new and cheaper video games in the market than the […]
• Video Game Industry Analysis In 1950, Yamauchi assumed the position of the president in the firm and got on a variety of strategies with the purpose of rationalizing and modernizing the way the firm was controlled.
• Game designers have the responsibility to design less video game Secondly, the outcome of the video game is unpredictable as compared to movie in which the audience can predict the point at which the story would end thus making the video games more interesting to […]
• Striving for the Ultimate Knowledge: Eli’s Mission. Video Game Owing to the peculiarities of the movie plot, the game can be shaped in a most intriguing way, with a lot of turns of the plot which lead to the most effective denouement.
• Analysis of the Counter-Strike Video Game Phenomenon in Computer Gaming
• Comparison of Three Companies in Video Game Industry; Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft
• Analysis of Free Will in The Stanley Parable Video Game
• Analysis of the Effects of Playing a Video Game Used in Computer Science
• Analysis of the Characteristics and Player Statistics of Bungie’s Video Game Destiny
• Are Video Games Truly a Game or a Reality?
• Analysis of the Topic of the Releases in the Video-Game Industry and the Issues of the Violence
• Analysis of the Rise of the Video Game Empire in Modern Society
• Two Aspects of Creating a Video Game
• Analysis of the Third-Person, Console-Based Video Game, The Last of Us
• Are Users The Next Entrepreneurs? A Case Study On The Video Game Industry
• Combating Video Game Addiction : A Global Problem
• Does Playing Video Game Consoles Bring About Plenty of Advantages?
• Analysis of the Field Work Project and the Topic of a Video Game Community
• Does Video Game Violence Affect Children?
• Do Video Games Contribute For Video Game Violence?
• Is The Video Game Industry an Oligopoly?
• Is Video Game Violence the Cause of Juvenile Delinquency?
• Psychological Effects of Video Game Violence on Children
• What Is the Defining Business and Economic Characteristics of the Video Game Console Industry?
• Why Play Station 4 and the Xbox One Are the Kings of the Next Generation Video Game Console?
• What Makes A Video Game Addictive?
• Competition Among 3 Main Video Game Companies: Nintendo, Sega, And Sony
• Brief Note On Video Gaming And The Video Game Industry
• Effects of Television and Video Game Violence on Children and Teenagers
• Analysis of the Different Genres of Video Game Systems for Children
• Overview of the Process and Career in Video Game Design
• Development of the Elder Scrolls Video Game Series
• Breaking Gender Stereotypes in Traditionally Masculine Sports: The Inclusion of Women in FIFA 16 Video Game
• Cancer: Video Game and Playing Violent Video
• Fighting the Online Video Game Wars in China
• Government Regulation Of Video Game Violence Is Unconstitutional And Unnecessary
• Japanese video game industry
• History of the Video Game Industry
• Microsoft Xbox Entering the World of Video Game
• The Merchant of Video Games: Adapting the Merchant of Venice into an Adventure Game
• What Are Some Revolutionary Breakthroughs in the Video Game Industry?
• What Does It Take To Make It in the Video Games Industry?
• Why Has the Video Game Industry Exploded Recently?
• What Is Wrong With the Video Game Industry in This Generation?
• Is the Video Game Industry Going Downhill?
• Who Is the Best Voice Actor in the Video Game Industry?
• What Will Be the Next Breakthrough or “Big Thing” in the Video Game Industry?
• Is the Video Game Industry in Trouble Right Now?
• Who Makes More Money: Hollywood or the Video Game Industry?
• How Has the Coronavirus Impacted the Video Game Industry?
• What Is the Biggest Missed Opportunity Yet in the Video Game Industry?
• Does Video Game Violence Induce Negative Affects on Our Youth?
• What Are the Changes the Video Game Industry Needs?
• How Large Is the Video Game Industry?
• Why Is the Video Game Industry in China Dominated by MMOs?
• Is There a Bubble Forming in the Video Game Industry?
• What Do Video Game Players Understand That Most People Don’t?
• How Easy Is It to Make a Video Game?
• What’s the Best Advice You’ve Received From a Video Game?
• What Was the First Video Game?
• What Is the Most Inappropriate Video Game You Know?
• What Are the Elements of a Good Video Game?
• How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Video Game?
• What Can Video Game Consoles Offer You?
• Why Video Game Addiction Is One of the Urgent Problems Today?
• How Does Science Create Video Game?
• How the 1970s Sparked the Video Game Industry?
• Why Do Video Game Movies Always Fail?
• What’s the Most Popular Video Game Genre?
• The Science Behind Brain-Boosting Games
• How Gaming Reflects and Influences Society
• How Video Games Participate in Social Justice
• Pros and Cons of Gamified Fitness and Wellness Apps
• Gamification, Its Benefits, and Learning Outcomes
• Virtual Goods in Video Games and Their Real-World Value
• What Factors Influence Immersion and Player Engagement?
• Cloud Gaming and the Potential of Streaming Technology
• Market Trends and Revenue Models of the Video Game Industry
• Violence, Microtransactions, and Other Ethical Issues in Video Game Development
• Problem Solving Essay Ideas
• Computers Essay Ideas
• Technology Essay Ideas
• Cyberspace Topics
• Developmental Psychology Essay Ideas
• Software Engineering Topics
• Online Community Essay Topics
• Hacking Essay Topics
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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• Open access
• Published: 06 September 2023

Game-based learning in computer science education: a scoping literature review

• Maja Videnovik   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9859-5051 1 ,
• Tone Vold   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4850-3363 2 ,
• Linda Kiønig   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8768-9370 2 ,
• Ana Madevska Bogdanova   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0906-3548 3 &
• Vladimir Trajkovik   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8103-8059 3  

International Journal of STEM Education volume  10 , Article number:  54 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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Using games in education has the potential to increase students’ motivation and engagement in the learning process, gathering long-lasting practical knowledge. Expanding interest in implementing a game-based approach in computer science education highlights the need for a comprehensive overview of the literature research. This scoping review aims to provide insight into current trends and identify research gaps and potential research topics concerning game-based learning in computer science. Using standard methodology for scoping review, we identified 113 articles from four digital libraries published between 2017 and 2021. Those articles were analyzed concerning the educational level, type of the game, computer science topic covered by the game, pedagogical strategies, and purpose for implementing this approach in different educational levels. The results show that the number of research articles has increased through the years, confirming the importance of implementing a game-based approach in computer science. Different kinds of games, using different technology, concerning different computer science topics are presented in the research. The obtained results indicate that there is no standardized game or standardized methodology that can be used for the creation of an educational game for computer science education. Analyzed articles mainly implement a game-based approach using learning by playing, and no significant focus is given to the effectiveness of learning by designing a game as a pedagogical strategy. Moreover, the approach is mainly implemented for developing computational thinking or programming skills, highlighting the need for its implementation in other topics beyond programming.

Introduction

The world is changing very fast due to the emergence of technology in our everyday lives. This tremendous change can be noticed in different areas, including education. Students are influenced by the digital era, surrounded by technology and working with a massive amount of digital information on an everyday base. They are used to interactive environments and fast communication and prefer learning by doing (Unger & Meiran, 2020 ). Traditional learning environments, where students should sit and listen to the information provided by the teachers are unacceptable for them (Campbell, 2020 ). Students require active learning environments, using the possibilities of various technology applications to gain knowledge. They seek more interesting, fun, motivating and engaging learning experiences (Anastasiadis et al., 2018 ).

Creating engaging learning environments can develop students' critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity and cooperation, preparing students for living in a constantly changing world (Joshi et al., 2022 ; Lapek, 2018 ; Tang et al., 2020 ). Education needs to shift toward active learning approaches that will encourage students to engage on a deeper level than traditional lecture-based methods (Boyer et al., 2014 ). To achieve this, teachers must find an approach tied to digital tools that students use daily (Videnovik et al., 2020 ).

Implementation of a game-based learning approach for creating engaging learning environments

Game-based learning is considered one of the most innovative learning approaches for increasing students' interest in education by playing games (Priyaadharshini et al., 2020 ). It refers to using games as an educational tool or strategy to facilitate learning and engagement (Li et al., 2021 ). Game-based learning involves designing and incorporating educational content within a game format, where players actively participate and interact with the game mechanics to acquire knowledge or develop skills. Many approaches tackle the umbrella of application of game-based learning in different educational fields. Different playful experiences can enable children to construct knowledge by playing and exploring a real-world problem often driven by students’ interest in inquiry (Hirsh-Pasek, 2020 ). Gamification is a process that uses game elements, such as points, rewards, badges and competition during the learning process, establishing interactive and engaging learning environments (Turan et al., 2016 ). Gamification aims to enhance motivation, engagement, and participation using the inherent appeal of games. Designing interactive and entertaining games, primarily for education, is a step forward in implementing game-based learning. Serious games enable players to cultivate their knowledge and practice their skills by overcoming numerous interruptions during gaming (Yu, 2019 ). Effectively designed serious games facilitate learning by stimulating creativity, igniting interest, promoting discourse, and cultivating a competitive drive for exploration in diverse fields. Different mobile and location-based technologies provide opportunities to embed learning in authentic environments and thereby enhance engagement and learning outside traditional formal educational settings (Huizenga et al., 2009 ). Those games can simulate various aspects of reality, such as driving a vehicle, managing a city, or piloting an aircraft, allowing players to experiment and make decisions in a safe space without real-world consequences (Toh & Kirschner, 2020 ).

Games enable the integration of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational components to create an environment, where players feel more motivated to engage in the activities (Hartt et al., 2020 ). When digital game-based learning is implemented, including key game design elements (collaboration, choice, feedback), there is typically a positive impact on student engagement (Serrano, 2019 ; Wang et al., 2022 ). Students approach gameplay with interest and dedication and are persistent in progressing it. Therefore, teachers must find different ways to implement a game-based approach in the classroom, utilizing students' engagement, persistence and motivation during gameplay for classroom activities. During game-based learning, students have fun and enjoy themselves with increased imagination and natural curiosity, which can lead to high levels of participation and the student's involvement in the learning process. In this way, students can be more successfully engaged in meaningful learning than traditional teaching methods (Hamari et al., 2016 ; Huizenga et al., 2009 ; Karram, 2021 ).

Research on using a game-based learning approach in education

In the last decade, the game-based approach is receiving increasing attention in the research community due to its potential to increase students' motivation and engagement, promoting a student-centred learning environment. Many researchers show that digital game-based learning is becoming a powerful tool in education, making learning more enjoyable, easier and efficient (Boyle et al., 2016 ; Hafeez, 2022 ). Implementation of a game-based learning approach can provide students with an engaging, motivating and stimulating environment (Ghergulescu & Muntean, 2012 ; Hwang et al., 2014 ), supporting them to focus on the task and increasing overall learning experiences (Hamari et al., 2016 ). Moreover, game-based learning has the potential to improve students’ competencies and academic performance (Clark et al., 2016 ; López-Fernández et al., 2021a , 2021b ; Mezentseva et al., 2021 ; Noroozi et al., 2020 ; Sanchez Mena & Martí-Parreño, 2017 ; Vu & Feinstein, 2017 ). It presents the learners with rich, immersive environments and experiences that are not just about learning facts but enables the development of problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic planning (Lymbery, 2012 ; Sung & Hwang, 2013 ) skills. In addition, the student's academic achievement using a game-based approach is better than those learning through the traditional method (Arcagök, 2021 ; Partovi & Razavi, 2019 ; Roodt & Ryklief, 2022 ; Wang et al., 2022 ). Educational games promote active and self-directed learning, enabling students to learn from authentic situations and receive immediate feedback (Pellas & Mystakidis, 2020 ; Zhao et al., 2021 ). It can be highly personalized, allowing students to learn at their own pace and in a way best suited to their individual needs and learning styles, engaging them in the self-assessment process (Videnovik et al., 2022 ). In a gaming environment, students can explore different scenarios, make choices, and learn from the consequences of their actions without fear of making a mistake.

Despite the great potential of the game-based approach for learning, it must be noted that developing educational games can be very complex and costly, and faces significant challenges (Boyle et al., 2016 ). The process of designing an educational game needs a lot of planning and requires a lot of skills (Hussein et al., 2019 ). Teachers do not have necessary skills to develop a game that combines entertainment and educational elements to increase student's interest and motivation during learning (Qian & Clarck, 2016 ). On the other side, game developers have problem to align educational goals within the game. In addition, the games must be well-designed and with the right level of complexity so the learners should not be bored or frustrated during the play (Liu et al., 2020 ; Vlahu-Gjorgievska et al., 2018 ), taking into account both educational and entertainment elements. That is why educators cannot depend solely on professional game designers and must take on the responsibility of creating these immersive learning experiences themselves or by engaging their students in the design process.

Game-based learning approach in computer science education

The game-based approach provides a dynamic and effective way for students to learn and apply their knowledge in a variety of subjects, such as math (Vankúš, 2021 ), physics (Cardinot & Fairfield, 2019 ), languages (Lee, 2019 ), and history (Kusuma et al., 2021 ). This approach allows students to learn complex concepts and skills in a fun and interactive way while also fostering critical thinking and collaboration. It is particularly effective in computer science, where students can learn about algorithms, data structures, networks, software testing and programming languages by designing and testing their games and simulations (Kalderova et al., 2023 ). In addition, game-based learning can help to bridge the gap between theory and practice, allowing students to apply their knowledge in a real-world context (Barz et al., 2023 ).

The importance of computer science has been emphasized in the last decade through different campaigns and online platforms. Their main aim is to develop students' computational thinking skills and attract students to coding, mainly through a game-based approach (code.org, codeweek.org). They offer teachers access to materials and learning scenarios covering different unplugged activities and block-based programming. Students have an opportunity to play games and learn basic programming concepts through fun and interactive activities, developing collaboration and competitiveness at the same time. Game narratives, collecting points, and immediate feedback through these games increase students’ engagement. These platforms are a valid option for developing computational thinking at an early age and a good way for students to develop creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Barradas et al., 2020 ).

Various block-based programming languages, which are also accessible online (Scratch, Footnote 1 Snap, Footnote 2 Blockly Footnote 3 ), are used to develop students' computational thinking and block-based programming skills, especially in primary education. In addition, they support the development of interactive projects that students can use afterward (Tsur & Rusk, 2018 ). Moreover, students can develop animations, interactive stories, and games, which allow them to engage in the coding process, learn programming concepts and even learn about other computer science topics during game design.

Topics connected with programming are the most common in computer science, but learning how to program is often recognized as a frustrating activity (Yassine et al., 2018 ). Learning object-oriented programming languages is especially difficult for students, because programming concepts are complex, cognitively demanding, require algorithmic thinking and problem-solving skills, and is a long-term process (Zapušek & Rugelj, 2013 ). Game-based learning stimulates active learning and enables students to learn about programming concepts in fun and engaging ways through visual interfaces and engaging environments (CodeCombat, Footnote 4 Alice, Footnote 5 Greenfoot Footnote 6 ). Those engaging and motivating environments enable simplifying complex programming concepts, such as inheritance, nested loops, and recursion (Karram, 2021 ).

Different pedagogical strategies can be used to implement game-based learning in computer science, empowering students' skills and increasing their active engagement in learning. For example, students can deepen their knowledge and skills on a given topic by playing the game (Hooshyar et al., 2021 ; Shabalina et al., 2017 ) or through the process of game design (Denner et al., 2012 ; Zhang et al., 2014 ). In both cases, the game-based approach can increase students' motivation and engagement in learning (Chandel et al., 2015 ; Park et al., 2020 ).

Existing reviews of game-based approach in computer science

Existing reviews of game-based approach in computer science provide valuable information about the latest trends in the implementation of game-based approach in the last few years. Table 1 presents latest trends in the implementation of game-based learning in computer science education.

Most of the review articles analyze publications that describe the implementation of game-based approach for learning programming (Abbasi et al., 2017 ; Diaz et al., 2021 ; Dos Santos et al., 2019 ; Laporte & Zaman, 2018 ; Shahid et al., 2019 ), from different aspects: game design, game elements, or their evaluation. However, there are some of them tackling other topics, such as cybersecurity (Karagiannis et al., 2020 ; Tioh et al., 2017 ) or cyberbullying (Calvo-Morata et al., 2020 ). Sharma et al. ( 2021 ) analyzes the impact of game-based learning on girls’ perception toward computer science. There are review articles that focus on just one aspect of computer science. For example, Chen et al. ( 2023 ) provides meta-analyses to investigate potential of unplugged activities on computational thinking skills.

In our review, we aim to perform the broader analysis of the research articles referring to the game-based approach in various computer science topics, different educational levels and different types of games. For that purpose, instead of systematic review, we have opted to perform the scoping review on significantly larger set of articles.

Valuable insight regarding the game-based approach in computer science has been provided in research concerning different educational levels, computer science topics, and used games. However, computer science is a field that is changing very fast, and the number of games that can be used for developing students' knowledge and skills is increasing all the time. As a result, continuous research in this field should be done.

This research aims to elaborate on current trends concerning the game-based approach in computer science. It focuses on the educational level, covered computer science topic, type of the game, purpose for its use, and pedagogical strategies for the implementation of this approach. Moreover, possible gaps and potential research topics concerning game-based learning in computer science in primary education are identified.

Current review

This research represents scoping review that identifies the educational context and the type of games used for implementing a game-based learning approach in computer science. The scoping review method was selected over systematic literature review, because we wanted to determine the scope of the literature in the field of game-based learning in computer science education, to examine how research is done on this topic and to identify and analyze research gaps in the literature (Munn et al., 2018 ).

Following Arksey and O’Malley ( 2005 ) five-step framework, which adopts a rigorous process of transparency, enabling replication of the search method and increasing the reliability of the results, the steps of the applied review process are: to (1) identify research questions (2) identify relevant studies, (3) study selection of papers, (4) charting the data, (5) summarizing and reporting the results.

Research questions

The focus of our research was to analyze what type of games were used in computer science, the subject's topics that were covered by the game and pedagogical strategies for implementing game-based learning, comparing all these in different educational levels. Starting from this, our research questions are:

RQ1: What kind of educational games are usually used during the implementation of the game-based approach in computer science?

Various games are used to cover topics from computer science, from block-based serious games (Vahldick et al., 2020 ) to educational escape rooms (López-Pernas et al., 2019 ). Using different games influences the learning process differently (Chang et al., 2020 ). The RQ1 seeks to identify and understand the types of educational games that are commonly utilized in the context of teaching computer science. Exploration of the variety of used games provides insights into the different approaches, mechanics, and formats used to enhance learning outcomes.

RQ2: Which pedagogical strategy is mostly used in the published research?

There are various strategies for implementing game-based learning in computer science education. The implementation strategies refer to whether students should learn by playing the game (Malliarakis et al., 2014 ) or by designing a game (Denner et al., 2012 ). The strategies can differ based on the gender of students (Harteveld et al., 2014 ), students' age (Bers, 2019 ), or the adopted approach by policymakers (Lindberg et al., 2019 ). RQ2 aims to identify the predominant pedagogical strategy employed in the published research on game-based approaches in computer science education. By examining the pedagogical strategies, researchers can gain insights into the most effective instructional methods that facilitate learning through game-based approaches. Furthermore, the findings can inform educators and researchers in designing and implementing effective instructional strategies that align with the goals of computer science education.

RQ3: Which computer science topics are covered by the game-based approach?

Game-based learning can be used to teach different computer science topics, from introduction topics (Fagerlund et al., 2021 ; Mathew et al., 2019 ), to core topics (Karram, 2021 ). RQ3 aims to provide value in exploring the specific computer science topics addressed through game-based approaches. In addition, it helps identify the range of topics that have been integrated into educational games. By understanding the computer science topics covered, researchers can assess the breadth and depth of the game-based approach and identify potential gaps or areas for further exploration in the curriculum.

RQ4: What are the potential research topics concerning the implementation of a game-based approach in computer science?

RQ4 is essential as it seeks to identify potential areas for future research in the implementation of game-based approaches in computer science education. It might include specific computer science topics (Calvo-Morata et al., 2020 ), strategies to implement game-based learning in computer science (Hooshyar et al., 2021 ), or ways to analyze the effects of game-based learning (Scherer et al., 2020 ). By exploring research topics that have not been extensively studied or require further investigation, researchers can identify new directions and opportunities for advancing the field. This can contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of game-based approaches in computer science education, fostering innovation and addressing emerging challenges.

Methodology

To answer research questions, we analyzed the contents of articles published from 2017 to 2021. Due to the rapid development of technology and change in the learnt computer science topics as well as designed game with new technology and tools, we have decided to research the articles that refer just to the interval of 5 years. As technology progresses swiftly, studying 5 year interval of the published literature ensures that scoping review results analyze the most current tools, approaches, and methodologies being utilized in the field of computer science education.

The research was done according to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines (Peters et al., 2020 ). The PRISMA-ScR methodology is a structured approach used to conduct comprehensive and transparent scoping reviews. It involves identifying a research question, performing a systematic search of relevant literature, applying inclusion and exclusion criteria to select studies, extracting data from the included studies, analyzing and synthesizing the data to identify key themes or patterns, and reporting the findings. It aims to map the existing literature on a particular topic, identify key concepts, and examine the extent, range, and nature of research available. It is particularly useful for exploring complex and diverse research questions.

There is a large number of articles regarding the topic, so performing this kind of research manually seemed like labor-intensive work. Therefore, we have identified the opportunity to use the Natural Language Processing (NLP) toolkit (Zdravevski et al., 2019 ) to automate the literature search, scanning, and eligibility assessment. We have used this toolkit for article identification and selection (i.e., scanning procedures and eligibility criteria assessment). The search considered articles indexed in four digital libraries: IEEE, PubMed, Springer and Elsevier. The NLP toolkit requires structured data input comprising keywords, properties, property groups, required relevance, included sources, and start and end years.

The provided keywords serve as search criteria within available libraries, acting as the primary filter to determine which articles will be gathered for further analysis. At the beginning of setting up the NLP toolkit for the research, to address different games that can be used in education, we have identified the main keywords to be "Serious Games", "Educational Games", "Games in education" or "Games for learning". The NLP toolkit used these keywords to identify the potentially relevant articles in the mentioned digital libraries.

Furthermore, the NLP toolkit was adjusted to search specific properties (words or phrases) within the title, abstract, or keywords of already identified articles to select relevant articles in more detail, according to the features (properties groups) of the game-based learning approach that we are interested in: subject, educational level, educational context, purpose and used technology. Properties groups address synonyms and various versions of the phrase (e.g., educational games and serious games). To be included in the results, at least one representative from each property group must appear in the title or abstract of the article, thereby functioning as a secondary filter for identifying relevant articles.

The property group "subject" was set as mandatory during the search, because we were interested in analyzing articles that refer to game-based learning just in computer science. Since the name of this subject is different in different countries, we have used synonyms, such as "programming", "coding", and "informatics". The property group "age" or educational level included different synonyms for primary and secondary education, as well as higher education, although we did not make this property mandatory. To search about the used technology (web, online, mobile, augmented reality, virtual reality), we have set one property group to include a different kind of used technology, and we also set a property group that refers to the aim of using these educational games (to achieve students' engagement, increase motivation, evaluation of educational results, etc.). A more detailed description of the properties groups is given in Table 2 .

The following input parameter for the NLP toolkit set-up is the minimum relevant properties. In this research, it was set that each article has to contain a minimum of two of the previously defined properties to be considered relevant. The quality analysis of the relevant articles followed in the next step of the methodology.

Study selection

The initial search in four digital libraries: IEEE, PubMed, Springer and Elsevier, has identified 43,885 articles concerning using game-based learning in computer science. After articles had been identified based on the specified keywords and retrieved from the publishers, the duplicates were identified according to the article DOI as their unique identifier and removed, which has decreased the number of articles to 21,002. In the next step, the articles selection (screening and eligibility assessment) procedures followed, discarding articles not published in the required period or for which the title or abstract could not be analyzed because of parsing errors, unavailability, or other reasons. The screening process eliminated 11,129 articles and the remaining 9873 articles underwent an automated eligibility assessment using the advanced NLP toolkit functionalities. The automated eligibility analysis involved the following processing: tokenization of sentences (Manning et al., 2014 ; Webster et al., 1992 ) and English stop words removal, stemming, and lemmatization using the Natural Language Toolkit library (Bird, 2006 ). Furthermore, articles containing less than two properties were removed, which left 1209 articles eligible for further manual analysis and inclusion in identifying the research trends and summarizing the results.

For each of the articles from the collection of relevant articles, the toolkit automatically generated a bibliographic file (as defined by BibTeX reference management software). This file was manually analyzed in more detail to identify the most relevant articles for the purpose of our study. First, the abstract was read to see whether the article was relevant, and if that did not provide enough information, the whole article was read. For each of the research questions we used the same approach, but with different focuses. For the first research question, we looked for any specific game name. For the second research question, we were looking for any mentioning of the pedagogical approaches or strategies. For the third research question, we looked for different computer science topics used in computer science curricula. In that way, the most relevant articles concerning first three research questions were identified. The last research question is related to future potential research topics in the field of game-based learning in computer science education, so it was not used during this phase of selection of relevant articles.

As a result of the manual analysis of articles’ titles, articles that did not refer to computer science subjects were excluded, which left just 206 articles. We could not obtain the full text for some of articles, so they were excluded from further analyses. Some articles did not refer to using games to teach computer science topics, so they were also removed. The same was the case with a few articles not written in English. Finally, we had 125 relevant articles.

Nine relevant articles were review papers that referred to different game-based learning approaches at different educational levels. Among identified articles is a book describing different teaching methods in computer science education, including game-based learning (Hazzan et al., 2020 ). Two book chapters refer to different approaches of using game-based learning in education (Bellas et al., 2018 ; Zaw & Hlaing, 2020 ). These articles were also excluded from the list.

Finally, we finished the selection process and got 113 relevant articles using educational games in computer science that were the subject of further analysis.

The information flowchart presenting the numbers of identified, screened, processed, and removed articles in the automated NLP procedure and articles removed during the manual analysis is presented in Fig.  1 .

Flowchart of the PRISMA-SCR-based selection process

After the final identification of the most relevant studies concerning game-based learning in computer science, summaries were developed for each article. Information about their correspondence to education, educational level, used game, type of the game, covered computer science topic, educational context and general usefulness of the article was provided.

Distribution of published articles through the years

The distribution of the articles concerning the game-based approach in computer science through the years is presented in Fig.  2 . It can be noticed that the number of articles was increasing through the years, but then suddenly, in 2021, that number decreased. The reason might be found in the situation with the pandemic, because in 2020 and 2021, most of the schools were closed. In some of them, the teaching was transferred online, which resulted in a huge change in the way of teaching and learning, and it was a period of adaptation for teachers and students at the same time, which might lead to a decrease of the research articles.

Distribution of the published articles through the years

Distribution of published articles per country

The distribution of the published articles per country differs from country to country. Figure  3 presents the distribution of published articles per country, showing only the countries that have more than five published articles concerning game-based learning between 2017 and 2021. Most articles are published in the United States, followed by Brazil and Greece.

Distribution of the published articles per country, showing countries with more than five published articles

Further analysis of the relevant articles depending on the country, where the research was conducted, shows that just 17 (of 113) articles are joint work of researchers from different countries. Moreover, just two present joint research on game-based learning from three countries. The first one describes the methodology implemented within the European initiative Coding4girls, which proposes to teach coding through a game design based on a design thinking methodological approach linked to creativity and human-centred solutions (De Carvalho et al., 2020 ). The second joint research (Agbo et al., 2021 ) describes the students’ online co-creation of mini-games to develop their computational thinking skills. Interestingly, all other published articles describe implementing a game-based learning approach in computer science in the local context, making it difficult to generalize the conclusions and the research outcomes.

Distribution of published articles by publisher

Most of the relevant researched articles are published by IEEE Xplore (86 of 113) but mostly published as part of the proceedings at different conferences. This might explain why the number of published articles from IEEE Xplore differs from other publishing companies. Figure  4 presents the distribution of the articles by each of the publishers in detail, comparing published articles in journals and at conferences.

Distribution of the published articles by different publishers

Distribution of published articles by educational level

Identifying the number of articles according to the educational level was more complicated due to the different educational systems in different countries, resulting in a different understanding of the terms “primary”, and “secondary” education. In some countries, the same educational level is entitled as “primary”, and in others as “lower secondary” or even “middle school”. For example, in some countries, the primary school includes 6–14-year-old students; in others, it is divided, so there are primary (from 6 to 10 years), middle (11–13 years) and high schools (14–18 years); and in some, there are even lower secondary school (12–16 years). Therefore, we have tried to combine different categories according to the student’s age and to gather three levels: primary, secondary and university, according to the local context (primary education includes 6–14 years, secondary education includes 15–18 years). The situation with the distribution of the relevant articles is presented in Fig.  5 .

Distribution of the published articles in different educational levels

It can be noticed that most of the articles concern universities, although the number of articles that concern using games in computer science in primary and secondary schools is not small. It can be expected, because most of the articles refer to using games for developing programming skills, which is present mainly at the university level. However, in some countries, primary school students learn fundamental programming concepts.

Distribution of published articles by the purpose of implementation

The purpose of the research concerning game-based learning in computer science is different and mostly depends on the type of the game as well as the topic that is covered by the game. The distribution of the published articles according to the purpose of the implementation of the research is presented in Fig.  6 . However, it must be mentioned that it was difficult to distinguish the purposes of implementing the game-based approach in computer science, because the purpose was not clearly stated in the articles or there was overlapping among different categories.

Distribution of the published articles according to the purpose of the implementation

In the most articles (66 of 113), the research is done to measure students’ learning achievement or to evaluate the benefits of the game-based approach by comparing students’ knowledge and skills before and after implementing this approach. In addition, some articles are interested in students’ engagement and raising students’ interest and motivation for the learning process by implementing a game-based approach. However, just a few articles refer to using this approach for measuring students’ overall satisfaction with the whole experience (3 of 113).

Distribution of published articles by implemented pedagogical strategy and used technology

Manual analyses of the included articles gave us insight into additional aspects of implementing a game-based approach in computer science. When we talk about the game-based approach, there are two main pedagogical strategies for implementation: students can learn by playing the game, and students can learn while creating the game. The distribution of those two approaches in the published articles indicates that learning by playing games is more frequently used than learning by creating games. Only 19 of 113 relevant articles refer to the implementation of a game-based approach, where students learn during the process of game design or are involved themselves in the creation of the game. In most of the articles, students just use the created game (previously created or designed for the purpose of the research) to develop their competencies on a given topic. Regarding the technology used for the creation of the games in the published articles, it can be noticed that most of the games are web-based (although they have a mobile version, too), and there are just a few articles concerning the use of the unplugged activities as a game-based approach for learning computer science.

Distribution of published articles by covered computer science topic

Most of the articles concerning computer science topics covered during the implementation of the game-based approach refer to using to develop students’ programming skills in object-oriented programming, followed by the articles concerning block-based programming and the development of computational thinking skills. The number of articles that utilize the game-based approach in all other computer science topics is significantly smaller (in total, 14 from 113 articles). Figure  7 contains more detailed information about this distribution.

Distribution of the published articles according to the covered computer science topics

Types of educational games used for implementation of the game-based approach in computer science

Our research aims to provide information about the latest research trends concerning game-based learning in computer science education. Table 3 gives information about the implemented game, the type of the game, the computer science topic covered by the game, and the educational level, where the research concerning the game-based approach in computer science was carried out. The type of the game refers to the origin of the game creation, whether the game was already created and can be used or is created for the research by the author or by the students (they are learning during the game design process).

Detailed analysis of these relevant articles shows that different educational games are used to implement game-based learning in computer science, implementing different technologies for their design. Articles refer to using different platforms, environments or engines for creating games using different technology. In primary education, most implemented approaches include block-based environments, such as Blocky, Snap!, and Scratch. Those platforms give access to the already created game (De Carvallho et al., 2020 ; Sáiz Manzanares et al., 2020 ; Vourletsis & Politis, 2022 ) but also offer possibilities a game to be created by a teacher (Bevčič & Rugelj, 2020 ; Holenko Dlab & Hoic-Bozic, 2021 ; Wong & Jiang, 2018 ) or by the students during the learning process (Funke et al., 2017 ; Zeevaarders & Aivaloglouor, 2021 ). Even more, their use as a platform to code Arduino boards is presented in two of the articles (Sharma et al., 2019 ; Yongqiang et al., 2018 ). Block-based environments are used in the research in secondary education, too. For example, Araujo et al. ( 2018 ) measured students’ motivation for learning block-based programming by involving students in creating games in Scratch. Schatten and Schatten ( 2020 ) involve students in creating different games using CodeCombat during the CodeWeek initiative to increase their interest in programming, and Chang and Tsai ( 2018 ) are implementing an approach for learning programming in pairs while coding Kinnect with Scratch.

However, in the research articles concerning secondary education, it can be noticed that some specified games are created by the researcher (or teacher) to develop some concrete computer science skills. In these cases, the articles focus on the evaluation of the effectiveness of the game as an approach. For example, the chatbot’s serious game “PrivaCity” (Berger et al., 2019 ) is designed to raise students’ privacy awareness, as a very important topic among teenagers.

Similarly, “Capture the flag” is a game designed for learning about network security in a vocational school (Prabawa et al., 2017 ). The effectiveness of using the educational game “Degraf” in a vocational high school as supplementary material for learning graphic design subjects is measured by Elmunsyah et al. ( 2021 ). Furthermore, Hananto and Panjaburee ( 2019 ) developed the semi-puzzle game “Key and Chest” to develop algorithm thinking skills and concluded that this digital game could lead to better achievement than if the physical game is used for the same purpose. The number of games developed at the university level on a specific topic by the researchers is even more significant. However, there is still no standardized game, and the games differ among themselves depending on the topic covered by the game and the country, where the game is implemented.

Only a few games are mentioned more than once in the list of relevant articles. The implementation of “Code defenders” to enable students to learn about software testing in a fun and competitive way is researched by Clegg et al. ( 2017 ) and Fraser et al. ( 2020 ). However, the studies continue each other, presenting improvements in the game. Different block-based programming languages and online platforms such as Scratch, Snap!, and Code Combat are mentioned in several articles, too. Implementation of a game-based approach during the assessment process through the creation of quizzes in Kahoot is presented by Abidin and Zaman ( 2017 ) and Videnovik et al. ( 2018 ). Finally, several articles refer to the use of Escape room as a popular game implemented in an educational context (Giang et al., 2020 ; López-Pernas et al., 2019 , 2021 ; Seebauer et al., 2020 ; Towler et al., 2020 ). However, all these Escape room-style games are created on different platforms and cover different topics. Therefore, it can be concluded that no standardized type of game is implemented at a certain educational level or concerning a specific topic.

Further analyses were done concerning the type of the game, referring to the origin of the game: already created and just used for the research, created by the researcher for the purpose of the research or created by the students during the learning process. The distribution of the number of articles according to the type of the game in different educational levels is presented in Fig.  8 .

Distribution of the published articles according to the game designer in different educational levels

Most of the articles describe the implementation of a game-based approach when the author creates the game to test the game’s efficiency and make improvements based on the feedback received by the students. The number of games created by the author is the biggest at the university level, and the most balanced distribution of different kinds of games (created by the author, students or already created) is present in primary education. Interestingly, the most significant number of articles that concern using games created by students is in primary education. It shows that students in primary education have been the most involved in the process of game design, although they are young and have less knowledge and skills than students at other educational levels. This could be result of the fact that the articles that refer to primary education present a game’s design only in a block-based environment and using basic programming concepts. However, research articles do not refer to a standardized methodology of a framework for the creation of a game, and each game is designed individually depending on the used technology, topic and educational level.

Pedagogical strategies for implementation of the game-based approach in computer science

A detailed analysis of the pedagogical strategies for implementing a game-based approach shows that most relevant articles use games as a tool for learning the content. This trend continues in the recent period as well (Kaldarova et al., 2023 ). Hence, students play the game (already created or created by an author) to gather knowledge or develop their skills. Detail distribution of the research articles regarding pedagogical strategies for implementing a game-based approach is presented in Fig.  9 and more detailed data can be found in Table 3 . Some articles explain how students learn during the process of the creation of a game. Those are different games at different educational levels, but they all concern the process of designing a game on some platform that will develop their programming skills. Unfortunately, no article describes the process of developing students’ knowledge and skills on different computer science topics than programming while designing a game. It is a critical gap that should be considered as a topic in future research: to see whether students can learn about other computer science topics during the game creation process (while they develop their programming skills).

Distribution of the published articles according to the implemented pedagogical strategy

Computer science topics covered by game-based approach in computer science

Figure  10 gives insight into the distribution of the relevant articles concerning the computer science topic covered by the game-based approach. The topic that is mainly taught by a game-based approach at university is object-oriented programming. The situation is similar in secondary schools. Game-based approach is suitable classroom strategy for fostering higher order thinking skills, such as problem solving, group collaboration, and critical thinking, that are developed during learning object-oriented programming, which is consistent with previous research conducted by Chen et al. ( 2021 ).

Distribution of the published articles concerning the covered computer science topics

This can be expected, because the topic is complex for the students, and teachers must find different approaches and strategies to make it more understandable. In addition, in those educational levels, there is a distribution of the articles in different mentioned computer science topics (although it is not equally distributed).

However, if we analyze the topics covered by the game-based approach in primary education, it can be noticed that this approach is implemented in several topics only, mainly connected with the development of students’ computational thinking skills and fundaments of programming languages (see Table 3 for detailed overview). This trend continues in the recent years (Cheng et al., 2023 ; Mozelius & Humble, 2023 ).

Students in primary education mostly learn block-based programming languages, so it is expected that this will be the most frequent topic covered by the game-based approach. However, some articles also refer to object-oriented programming taught in upper grades. The interesting finding is that there are no articles about using educational games to learn other computer science topics, such as hardware, some applications, networks, and cybersecurity, in primary education, as there are in other educational levels. For example, there are two articles that elaborate on learning about internet safety using games in secondary education (Berger et al., 2019 ; Prabawa et al., 2017 ), and no article on game-based learning for internet safety in primary education. This lack of research articles concerning using the game-based approach for learning other topics in computer science in primary education can help identify potential future research topics.

Potential research topics concerning the game-based approach in computer science

While the lack of research articles concerning using the game-based approach for learning other topics in computer science in primary education is a good starting point for identifying potential future research topics, it is important to consider it in combination with practical constraints such are lack of knowledge, access to technology or teacher training on a specific subject. In that context, “Identifying the challenges, opportunities and solutions for integrating game-based learning methods in primary schools for specific computer science topics” can be a future research topic. It should be noted, that although some articles on specific topics can be found in the recent literature (Alam, 2022 ), there is a huge pool of topics, such are internet safety and digital citizenship that can be explored in this context.

There is an evident lack of articles on the use of game-based learning in primary and secondary schools. The findings in the existing literature that elaborate on how specific game design elements influence the learning process are minimal (Baek & Oh, 2019 ; Dos Santos et al., 2019 ; Emembolu et al., 2019 ; Kanellopoulou et al., 2021 ). These findings, combined with the finding of a limited number of articles that use existing games in the process of learning, define the potential future research topic "Assessing the role of game design elements in enhancing engagement and understanding of computer science concepts among primary and/or secondary school students". This research topic can use conceptual framework that investigates how specific elements of game design can contribute to increased engagement and improved understanding of computer science concepts in primary or/and education.

This research topic includes various specific research questions and theoretical frameworks. One possible set of research questions can investigate the specific elements of game design that can be incorporated into educational games or learning activities to enhance the learning experience. These elements may include interactive interfaces, engaging narratives, immersive environments, feedback mechanisms, competition or collaboration features, levels of difficulty, rewards, and progression systems. Different theories such are social cognitive theory (Lim et al., 2020 ) and self-determination theory (Ryan et al., 2006 ) can be used to better understand the motivational factors of different game design elements (interactivity, challenges, and rewards), and how they influence student engagement and sustain student interest and active participation in computer science learning.

All mentioned research questions can be investigated by conducting experiments, surveys, observations, or interviews to gather quantitative and qualitative data on student experiences and perceptions. Combined with data from learning outcomes, these potential findings can provide the information about overall effectiveness of using the elements of a game-based approach to learning computer science in primary schools.

Limitations

This scoping review focuses on the articles in four digital libraries, potentially leaving a significant number of articles out of the analyzing process.

Using the NLP toolkit automates searching for relevant articles. Undoubtedly, a human reader might better understand the context and better assess the relevance of an article and potentially include some articles that NLP toolkit classified as irrelevant. In addition, after the initial selection by NLP toolkit, we performed the quality assessment of the identified articles, for each of the research questions. In that way, we ensured that only relevant articles are included in the study, but it might happen that, due to the phase of selection some relevant articles were omitted from the study.

Detailed meta-analyses within the selected group of articles concerning a particular research feature can further contribute to the existing body of knowledge. Similar analyses exist, but not on learning computer science (Gui et al., 2023 ). For example, in our manuscript, we did not consider the size of the student population, existence of the control group of students, or replicability of the studies.

This scoping review discusses implementation of game-based approach in computer science by analyzing research articles in four digital libraries published between 2017 and 2021. In total, 113 research articles were analyzed concerning the educational level, where the game-based approach is implemented, the type of the game, covered computer science topic, pedagogical strategy and purpose of the implementation. The results show that the number of research articles is increasing through the years, confirming the importance of implementing a game-based approach in computer science. Most of these articles refer to the research in just one country, in the local context, making it difficult to generalize the research outcomes and conclusions on the international level.

The article presents various games using various technologies concerning several computer science topics. However, there is no standardized game or methodology that can be used for designing an educational game. Implemented game in each of the researched articles depends on the educational level, covered topic and game type. From our findings, it is evident that most articles refer to the implementation of the game-based approach, where students gather the necessary knowledge and skills while playing a game. Just a few of them incorporate the process of learning by designing educational games, and this learning is connected to developing computational thinking or programming skills.

Potential future research might be focused on identifying the challenges, opportunities, and solutions for integrating game-based learning methods for a specific computer science topic. Example topics might be internet safety and digital citizenship.

The lack of research articles on game-based learning in primary and secondary schools, along with limited findings on the influence of game design elements, highlights the need to assess how different elements enhance engagement and understanding of computer science concepts.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated and analyzed during this study are included in this article.

https://scratch.mit.edu/

https://snap.berkeley.edu/

https://blockly.games/

https://codecombat.com/

https://www.alice.org/

https://greenfoot.org/door

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Here are some of the academic journals that USC Libraries subscribes to that are related to game studies, game development, etc.:

• Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research To explore the rich cultural genre of games; to give scholars a peer-reviewed forum for their ideas and theories; to provide an academic channel for the ongoing discussions on games and gaming.
• Games and Culture Games and Culture peer-reviewed and published quarterly, is an international journal that promotes innovative theoretical and empirical research about games and culture within interactive media. The journal serves as a premiere outlet for ground-breaking work in the field of game studies and its scope includes the socio-cultural, political, and economic dimensions of gaming from a wide variety of perspectives.
• Media, Culture, & Society Media, Culture & Society provides a major international forum for the presentation of research and discussion concerning the media, including the newer information and communication technologies, within their political, economic, cultural and historical contexts. The journal is interdisciplinary, regularly engaging with a wider range of issues in cultural and social analysis. Its focus is on substantive topics and on critique and innovation in theory and method.
• Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds is the first journal to address the global thematic of the Virtual Worlds. These consist of computer animation, embodied agents, virtual environments, augmented reality, virtual life and visualisation. This hybrid journal is read by scientists, artists and technicians applying animation techniques.
• The Computer Games Journal he Computer Games Journal is a worldwide, peer-reviewed publication providing knowledgeable, well-written articles from academics and practitioners that are relevant to the games industry. It aims to encourage and promote research into games development and the games industry as a whole. The journal publishes up-to-date research and opinions on current games development and industry issues, and also provides a format for airing ground-breaking dissertations and essays from computing and games students.
• GAME: The Italian Journal of Game Studies GAME – Games as Art, Media, Entertainment is an international, peer-reviewed, free access scholarly journal dedicated to games and play.
• Loading… The Official Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association Loading: The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association is a forum for publishing original and interdisciplinary academic research on video games. We accept work from a variety of perspectives: from research on video game cultures and industries to educational approaches to the study and development of digital games, and from computer science driven papers on designing and testing games to psychological research on video games and their effects. Founded in 2007, the journal accepts articles from researchers in Canada and world wide. We publish at least two issues per year.
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127 excellent video game research topics for 2023.

Are you looking for the best video game research topics for 2023? We are proud to say that you have arrived at the right place. Our experienced ENL writers and professional editors have just finished creating our brand new list of 127 awesome video game topics for high school and college students. You can use any of our ideas for free – no credits required.

Best Way To Write A Video Game Essay

Before we get to the list of topics, we want to make sure you know how to write a great essay. After all, finding a great topic is just part of the writing process of any custom term papers . Here are some pointers that should help you do a better job on your research paper:

• Structure your paper properly and always start with an outline. We recommend you use the 5 paragraph essay structure, as it’s extremely versatile.
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• Be careful with quotes and citations. Remember to include all your sources in the References chapter.
• Always start your paper with a great thesis statement. Dedicate some time to crafting the best one possible.
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• Last, but not least, write in a clean and concise manner. Express your ideas clearly and avoid unnecessary information that would just confuse or bore your readers.

Now that you know what to do and what to avoid when writing the video game research paper, it’s time to take a look at our list of original video game research topics:

Easy Video Game Topics

We will start our list with a selection of easy video game topics that are perfect for students who don’t want to spend too much time on their papers:

• Talk about your favorite video game
• What do you like about modern video games?
• The process behind the creation of a new game
• Why do you want to become a video game developer?
• What is a MMORPG video game?
• Differences between FPS and RPG games
• Analyze the gaming industry in a country of your choice
• An in-depth look at cyber sports and video game championships
• Can playing video games be considered a sport?
• What makes League of Legends so popular?
• Research gun violence in modern video games
• Are the games you play bad for you?
• Talk about the impact of video games on small children
• Do video games have any positive effects on you?

Video Games Topic For Every Student

Below, you will find a selection of topics for every student from high school to college. Check out our video games topic for every student list:

• The psychology behind modern video games
• Analyze the launch of a popular game
• How are video games priced?
• The history of online gaming
• Games as learning tools
• Controlling video game addiction
• Shooters or strategy games?
• Why you shouldn’t play video games
• Physical benefits of games

Interesting Video Game Topics To Write About

We know; you want a topic that is both interesting and easy to write about. Take a look at these interesting video game topics to write about:

• Do violent video games make teens violent?
• What is the effect of video games on children?
• What changed my view on video games?
• Skills that can be improved by playing games
• Do adults play video games?
• Research the increase in demand for video games
• Compare video games in the US and the UK
• Ethical responsibility in the gaming industry
• How addictive are role playing video games?

Fun Gaming Topics

Yes, writing a research paper can be fun – if you choose a great topic. Pick any of our fun gaming topics and start writing your paper right away:

• The entire history of video games
• Positive effects of video games
• Android games vs iOS games
• The Candy Crush popularity
• Gaming industry careers
• Genres of video games
• The technology behind the Xbox 4
• What causes addiction when it comes to video games?
• How do games improve learning skills?

Latest News On Video Games

If you want to write about something new, we recommend you take a look at the latest news in video games:

• Talk about the use of augmented reality in video games in 2023
• What are incremental console upgrades?
• An in-depth look at inclusivity in video games
• Which games are trending in 2023?
• Most anticipated video games of 2023
• Latest advances in 3D and SFX effects
• Talk about the remastered cinematics of Diablo 2 Resurrected
• Halo Infinite: everything we know so far
• The clan system in Call of Duty: Vanguard

Informative Gaming Topics To Talk About

Do you want to write an informative paper? No problem, we have a long list of informative gaming topics to talk about right here:

• Why do people love video games so much?
• Can video game addiction be treated like substance addiction?
• Case study: The Elder Scrolls of Oblivion
• Discuss government regulation of video games in the US
• Compare and contrast the Xbox and the PlayStation
• A closer look at the Japanese gaming industry
• What does it take to become a video game creator?
• The rise of Android video games
• Do we really need computer games nowadays?

Video Game Research Paper Topics For High School

Our list of video game research paper topics for high school is unique, so you can safely pick any one of our ideas and write your essay on it:

• What do modern video games promote?
• How much time should you spend playing video games?
• Are video games good or bad for our youth?
• Talk about how gaming will look 20 years from now
• Does playing video games make you think more strategic?
• How important are video games for our society?
• The importance of video games in treating depression
• Are games a good way to treat anxiety?
• Why do people spend so much money on video games?

Best Video Game Research Questions

A question is usually enough to spark your creativity. This is why we have an entire list of the best video game research questions right here:

• Are video games good for teens?
• How does video game violence affect children?
• How will games look 50 years from now?
• How do games improve our collaborative skills?
• Why do we love looking at other play video games?
• How damaging is piracy for the video game industry?
• Which are more popular, RPGs or FPSs?

Video Games Debate Topics

Are you preparing for a debate and need a great topic? Don’t worry about it; we’ve got your back. Check out these great video games debate topics:

• Discuss sexism in modern video games
• Talk about social problems related to video games
• Virtual reality in future games
• The important of augmented reality
• Can a game be educational?
• What makes games so fun and addictive?
• Gaming in the classroom in 2023
• Interesting online gaming experiences
• Important of games in special education settings

Good Video Game Writing Prompts

Are you looking for some good video game writing prompts that can help you write an intriguing research paper? Here are some of our best ideas:

• Compare and contrast the top 3 games in the United Kingdom in 2023
• What are some problems with modern video games?
• An in-depth look at advanced SFX effects
• 3D game rendering technologies
• Discuss online piracy related to video games
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Modern video games
• How realistic are modern games in 2023?
• Tackle the violence theme in video games
• Sony vs. Microsoft: gaming giants battle
• The link between gaming and violence in teenagers
• Discuss the addictiveness of video games

Video Games Research Paper Topics For College

Of course, we have a list of video games research paper topics for college students. These are a bit more difficult than the others in our list:

• Linking video game addiction to substance abuse
• The use of first person shooter games in military training programs
• Flight simulation games and their real world applications
• Games that improve critical thinking skills
• The minimum age for playing video games
• Games that improve reaction times
• Pros and cons of playing assassin video games
• Debunking the most popular myths about video games
• Should parents prevent their children from playing video games?
• The link between video games and cognitive skill improvements

Engaging Video Games Topics

Want to engage your audience right from the start? If you are looking to impress your professor, you might want to give these engaging video games topics a try:

• The role of a developer in the video game industry
• How is testing being carried out on video games?
• Talk about the latest and most advanced video game effects
• An analysis of the video game industry in 2023
• Compare the 3 most popular games in the United States in 2023
• Are online video games more addictive than single-player ones?
• Discuss about the psychological effects of video games
• Compare and contrast 3 first person shooter games
• Improving reaction time in FPS games
• The effect of video games on education

Video Games Of The Future

Last, but not least, we have a nice compilation of ideas related to video games of the future. Take a look at our innovative ideas and pick the one you like:

• A closer look at Battlefield 2042
• Talk about how rendering graphics works in games
• Advances in graphics planned for games to be released in 2023
• Innovative graphics in Halo Infinite
• Discuss 3D game rendering technologies of the future
• What makes Pragmata a game of the future?
• The use of artificial intelligence in games in 2023
• Research the use of virtual reality in future games
• Discuss real-time rendering in future 3D games
• An in-depth look at Hytale (to be released in 2023)

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Game design research

2015, Proceedings of the 19th International Academic Mindtrek Conference on - AcademicMindTrek '15

Related Papers

Whilst many game design academics are also game designers, their research is often presented through the lens of other disciplines (philosophy, media theory, human computer interaction [HCI], etc.) and practice-based design research is arguably underrepresented in the games research community. Although game design research espouses to open an inclusive community, at present, research approaches and the presentation of results is dominated by those inherited from either the social sciences or HCI. This dominance of loaded and prescriptive academic frameworks is arguably why many of those creating games outside academia feel such research is unrepresentative of their own practices.

Jussi Holopainen

11th EAD Conference Proceedings: The Value of Design Research

Vincent Mauger

11th Europeen Academy of Design Conference

How do video game studies, as part of the digital humanities, inspire the design research community and how does design research influence game design? How should design values lead game design education, a field where designers are instructed to operate as subordinate players within the larger economic system, just like—as many customers—gamers are? This paper explores these questions by highlighting how seriously video games and interactive media are now part of a design culture that is today intertwined in interdisciplinary discourses, reminding us of the leading role that design may play in the future of leisure development. The video game industry remains harnessed to productivity and quick profits, which produces fads, banal theming, consumerism and indifference to the growth of players. Fortunately, as is the case in many other design fields, game design also offers more personal, avant-garde and critical approaches that create opportunities to produce original visions of our future, encouraging individual reflection and performances through which critical insights may emerge. Game design is a particular, complex and multilayered design activity that takes place in a specific domain: the aesthetics of interactive systems, whereby systems of meaning are established by rule sets resulting in play. Beyond this field, many inquiries corollary to game studies such as ludology’s early epistemological deliberations or filiations to scientific or humanistic traditions sound like echoes of former design disciplinary debates. Such knowledge should transcend design domains and academic boundaries to pervade contemporary design studies and instruction. Keywords: Design research, Digital humanities, Game design education, Game studies, Interdisciplinary design discourse.

Information

Nelson Zagalo

This paper examines the methods and systems of game design from the standpoint of existing method proposals failing to establish a common basis for systematizing design knowledge, which this paper aims to help resolve. Game design has often been subsumed by game development and associated disciplines, and game design methodology has often been subsumed by game analysis. This paper reviews related work in defining game design as an autonomous research subject and then divides the methods and systems of game design into complementary methods and core methods, with only the latter, consisting chiefly of design patterns, attempting to systematize how game design knowledge is generated. Seminal game patterns have been descriptive rather than -prescriptive and so have failed to find the requisite practitioner adoption to fulfill their role as a living method. One recent pattern approach has sought to resolve this issue by promoting pattern usage generally over the adoption of a particular...

Acta Electronica Universitatis Tamperensis 1885

Annakaisa Kultima

This dissertation is positioned on the multidiscipline of game studies. It presents the findings of a ten-year study of game developers and the contexts of their creative practices. As a multidisciplinary enquiry, this study draws from the theoretical and methodological traditions of creativity studies, management studies, computer science, and design research to supplement the young discipline of game studies. However, studying game developers is not a typical focus for the field of academic game research. The dissertation critically comments on the tradition of game studies for its ontological narrowness and the neglect of the relevance of the creator in the quest for understanding the phenomenon of games and play.

Simulation & Gaming

Frans Mäyrä

Gundolf S Freyermuth

How did games rise to become the central audiovisual form of expression and storytelling in digital culture? How did the practices of their artistic production come into being? How did the academic analysis of the new medium's social effects and cultural meaning develop? Addressing these fundamental questions and aspects of digital game culture in a holistic way for the first time, Gundolf S. Freyermuth's introduction outlines the media-historical development phases of analog and digital games, the history and artistic practices of game design, as well as the history, academic approaches, and most important research topics of game studies.

Even a cursory glance at scholarly literature from over a decade ago related to games can show authors variously prefacing their contributions with explanations of the newness of games, the impressive growth of the digital games industry, and the interdisciplinary nature of games [...]

Simulation &amp; Gaming

Digital games have evolved into diverse forms, and they touch many different areas of life in contemporary society. When approached together with the associated playful and serious behaviors, they profit from several research methodologies. This collection of articles introduces a range of research methodologies and aims to promote interdisciplinary dialogue in the study of games.

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DARPA’s Secret New X-Plane Looks Like It’ll Blow Some Minds

The XRQ-73 will take to the skies this year.

• DARPA has initiated an effort to build a new, stealthy spy plane.
• Unlike other aircraft, this X-plane will feature a hybrid electric propulsion system.
• The XRQ-73 will be much quieter than traditional aircraft, making it harder to detect over enemy territory.

Hybrid Spy Plane

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA , announced the new plane earlier this week via its website. The plane is designated XRQ-73: X for experimental plane, R for reconnaissance, and Q for unmanned. It would be the 73rd official X-plane developed by the Department of Defense—a long line of famed aircraft that started in 1946, with the Bell X-1 supersonic jet plane .

The plane’s designation gives away its purpose: an unmanned spy plane. The SHEPHARD name is an acronym—Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration—and explains what will make the machine special. It will be the first known military aircraft to will do away with jet engines entirely, relying on electricity for propulsion .

According to DARPA , the XRQ-73 will be an unmanned aircraft designed to collect intelligence. Concept art depicts a flying wing design (like the B-21 Raider stealth bomber), the lack of a fuselage, vertical stabilizers, and a cockpit. The drone will be several orders of magnitude smaller than a bomber, however—DARPA says it is a Group 3 drone, a size class that tops out of 1,320 pounds. XRQ-73 will weight 1,250 pounds. Like the B-21 Raider, the XRQ-73 is also being built by Northrop Gruman. First flight is scheduled for sometime this year.

Electric Flight

On a regular jet aircraft , gas turbine engines suck in and pressurize air, then burn oxygen and jet fuel in a combustion chamber. The engine then pushes the gasses created by the process through the rear of the engine, creating the thrust that propels the aircraft forward.

In a hybrid electric propulsion aircraft, engines burn jet fuel to create electrical power. The power is then used to turn fans that create thrust. A hybrid propulsion aircraft can briefly rely on batteries, resulting in a quieter aircraft—a major quality of life improvement for people living near airports. It can use both direct electric power and battery power to temporarily increase power, such as during takeoffs. Engineers have been working on commercial hybrid electric aircraft for years, but a useful, fully operational craft has been elusive thus far.

Avoiding the “Flying Lawnmower”

Smaller, short range flying drones like quadcopters and hexacopters are typically powered by batteries. As drones grow larger, they are expected to have longer ranges and greater payloads, and an internal combustion engine like a prop-driven engine or gas turbine is considered mandatory.

All of that additional power from burning fuel has a price: internal combustion engines are loud . The Shahed-136 —a prop-driven kamikaze drone designed by Iran and used by Russia in its war in Ukraine—makes so much noise that it is known as the “flying washing machine.” Ukrainian air defenders can usually hear the Shahed before they can see it, giving them time to man their anti-air defenses and scan the skies.

American drones are no exception. The U.S. Army’s RQ-7B Shadow is similarly noisy, producing a sound that resembles one continuous, unending fart. Like the XRQ-73, the RQ-7B is classified by the Pentagon as a Group 3 class drone—a class of drones that typically fly at a maximum altitude of 18,000 feet. A RQ-7B engine produces up to 99 decibels of sound , which at 18,000 feet would be reduced to 13 decibels . That’s the noise equivalent of a human being breathing , meaning that hearing a RQ-7 at three miles up is certainly possible.

Unlike civilian hybrid electric aircraft, military aircraft would use electric power differently. A plane like the XQR-73 would take off and land with the engine providing electrical power to the fans. As it nears enemy territory, the aircraft would switch off the gas turbine and power the fans from batteries . The drone’s engine noise disappears, and the plane is suddenly flying silent.

Son of Great Horned Owl

XQR-73 is a direct descendant of Great Horned Owl (GHO)—another project to develop a quiet unmanned aerial vehicle. GHO was a project of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), DARPA’s equivalent in the intelligence community. The name is a reference to the ability of owls to fly silently, undetected by their prey.

It’s not clear whatever happened to Great Horned Owl. A 2011 PowerPoint presentation outlines the same key objectives of the XQR-73 program, so it’s possible that GHO was eventually deemed technically unachiveable at the time. The two aircraft programs rely on battery technology to succeed—a field that has seen remarkable progress in the last 13 years. So, perhaps DARPA thinks the tech has advanced to a point where silently flying a 1,250 pound drone is possible.

Great Horned Owl was also a Northrop Grumman Project , so some of the design will likely carry over to the XQR-73. One area where the two planes differ is the placement of the fans—GHO features four fans mounted above the aircraft, while the XQR-73 buries them inside the body of the aircraft. Burying the fans eliminates their radar signature, making the aircraft harder to detect.

Hybrid electric aircraft have the potential to revolutionize the aviation industry. A successful XQR-73 will be a groundbreaking aircraft, ushering in an era of quieter flight. Good news for people living in the flight path of airports , and bad news for America’s adversaries.

Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News , and others. He lives in San Francisco.

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Vol. 55 No. 5 Print version: page 52

• Video Games
• Psychotherapy

Dan’s interest in video games started as many do: at age 5, playing educational games. By age 8, his parents—a working couple in rural Switzerland—tried to cap his PlayStation use to an hour a day. 

As a teen, though, Dan, a pseudonym used in a 2021 case study, was spending upwards of 12 hours daily playing mostly first-person shooter games. He rarely saw peers outside of school and lost an apprenticeship because of perpetual tardiness and fatigue ( Niedermoser, D. W., et al., International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , Vol. 18, No. 4, 2021 ).

It wasn’t until his next job stipulated psychotherapy that Dan and his parents began to view, and treat, his habit as an addiction. According to the study authors, who saw him at their private psychiatric practice, the approach worked: After 8 months of weekly cognitive behavioral therapy, Dan had reduced his gaming time to about 1.5 hours a day and, uniquely, hadn’t “shifted” his addiction to another vice, like pornography viewing or tobacco use, the authors say. Dan’s depression and insomnia—which were severe and moderately severe, respectively, at the start of therapy—receded, too. 

Dan’s story—boy overcomes gaming disorder, a condition that the World Health Organization added to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) in 2018—is presented in the researchers’ paper as a success. “In this case,” they wrote, “the patient could keep and probably successfully finish his apprenticeship. This is of major importance for his later prospects to live a self-determined and independent life.”

But not all mental health professionals would tell stories like Dan’s the same way. Some might point to Dan’s often absent parents as the root of the issue and so the first place to intervene, while others might see Dan’s case as a missed opportunity to nurture a young person’s passion and sense of competence. Until arriving in therapy, Dan thought of gaming not as a problem but as a path to wealth and fame. And some psychologists bristle at the term gaming “disorder” or “addiction,” which they see as more about politics than science. “A problematic diagnosis may promulgate policy efforts that restrict free speech and minors’ rights, without appreciable positive impacts,” a group of psychologists wrote in a 2018 APA Division 46 (Society for Media Psychology and Technology) statement expressing concern over the WHO’s classification.

Despite the concept’s controversy, some people’s gaming habits are significantly conflicting with multiple areas of their life, which calls for clinical attention. Many of them, however, are finding balance with psychologists’ interventions—or in some cases, simply time, said Zsolt Demetrovics, PhD , chair of the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming at the University of Gibraltar.

“The nature of development of most addictive disorders is progressing to worse, and that’s not clearly the situation in the case of video games,” he said. While more longitudinal research is needed, “there are signs of a much higher proportion of spontaneous recovery or just normalization of gaming after a more problematic period of gaming than in the case of other disorders.”

An evolving problem

Some data suggest 76% of under-18-year-olds and 67% of adults  play video games in the United States . “Esports,” or competitive video gaming, is a fast-growing extracurricular activity at high schools and colleges across the United States.

But more people are gamers than they realize, including those who compete with their friends through Wordle or fire up Candy Crush on their phone while waiting in line, said  Mitu Khandaker, PhD , a game designer and arts professor at New York University’s Game Center who served on a panel APA hosted at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.  

“Games, and our desire to create them, have always existed,” said Khandaker, the founder and CEO of  Glow Up Games,  which builds games that feature and celebrate Black and Brown characters and storylines. “Games exist at this intersection between whatever our latest technological capability is and whatever it is that we want to express as a culture at the time.” 

Still, the ubiquity and history of gaming doesn’t shield games from becoming problematic for some people. To the contrary, their increasing pervasiveness and advanced design is precisely what can make their use harder and harder to control. Researchers have shown how, for instance, even some of the simplest social media and game apps on phones use psychological theories, including the mere exposure effect (the more you see it, the more you like it), the Zeigarnik effect (the tendency to remember interrupted tasks better than completed ones), and social comparison to encourage prolonged usage ( Montag, C., et al.,  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 ).

“The element that really is a game changer is the online element,” said  Mark Griffiths, PhD,  a distinguished professor of behavioral addiction at Nottingham Trent University in England. “You could technically play 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

But most people don’t. According to a 2016  study  that looked at a random sample of 3,389 gamers in Norway, just 1.4% were “addicted gamers,” meaning they experienced the so-called four pillars of addiction—relapse, withdrawal, conflict, and problems—at least sometimes, and 7.3% of study participants were pegged as “problem gamers,” meaning they met two or three of the criteria sometimes. The rest of the sample was considered either “engaged” (3.9%) or “normal” (87.4%) ( Wittek, C. T., et al.,  International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction , Vol. 14, No. 5, 2016 ).

A 2022 meta-analysis of 61 studies across 29 countries found other estimates of pathological gaming range from 0.3% to 17.7% ( Kim, H. S., et al.,  Addictive Behaviors , Vol. 126, 2022 ).

“A small but significant minority of people, usually young people, have a genuine problem with their video game playing,” said Griffiths, who is the director of the International Gaming Research Unit. “Whether we call it a disorder, whether we call it addiction or a problem—to me, that’s irrelevant. We have a small group of people where video game playing is basically negatively affecting every other area of their life.” 

That appears to be the case for some of the tens of thousands of members in a  Reddit community called StopGaming .

“Playing video games makes me procrastinate from doing important work. Playing video games prevents me from connecting with others. Playing video games prevents me from making life decisions,” one self-described addict wrote. “I need help.”

[ Related: Developing games that build skills and promote well-being ]

Categorizing the concern

According to the American Psychiatric Association—which added “internet gaming disorder” (IGD) to the research appendix of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) in 2013—the condition is a “persistent and recurrent use of the Internet to engage in games, often with other players, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.”

The WHO similarly says the condition is characterized by “impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.” 

A person is only typically diagnosed with IGD, the organization says, if their behavior patterns are severe enough to impair multiple key areas of their life, such as their employment and their personal relationships, and endure for at least 12 months.

“We’ve got lots of biological studies, lots of nationally representative, large-scale epidemiological studies. We’ve got a massive increase in the number of papers on treatment … and the number of dedicated gaming treatment clinics,” Griffiths said. “So for me, it is quite clearly a genuine disorder.”

But there’s little consensus when it comes to how best to categorize, and study, the concept.  Vivien Wen Li Anthony, PhD , an associate professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work and scientific director for video gaming and esports at the university’s Center for Gambling Studies, and others view gaming disorder as a behavioral addiction, similar to a gambling, sex, or food addiction. 

Anthony points to  research  showing how, like other behavioral addictions, video games activate the same brain regions associated with reward and reinforcement as psychoactive drugs, but gamers don’t experience the types of physical withdrawal symptoms seen in substance-based addictions ( Weinstein, A., & Lejoyeux, M.,  Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience , Vol. 22, No. 2, 2020 ). Problem gamers also tend to experience a loss of control and significant impairment in other areas of their life, she said.

Still, gaming has some features that set it apart from other behavioral addictions—namely, its lack of natural guardrails. “If you’re a sex addict, you don’t tend to be having sex for 10 hours in a row, but with gambling and gaming, people have incredibly long playing sessions every single day,” Griffiths said.

Other potentially addictive substances and activities also aren’t introduced in toddlerhood, Demetrovics added. “When we talk about gaming, it’s technically all kids, all adults,” he said. “So whatever intervention or regulation we want to introduce, we have to think about the whole population.” Plus, for a minority of gamers, gaming is indeed a  legitimate career trajectory .

Douglas Gentile, PhD , who runs Iowa State University’s  Media Research Lab , prefers to conceptualize problem gaming as an impulse-control disorder. In one of his earlier studies, which followed more than 3,000 children in Singapore for 3 years, he and colleagues found that pathological gaming tendencies were persistent over time and, among other traits, predicted by impulsivity ( Pediatrics , Vol. 127, No. 2, 2011 ).

“If my belief about this is accurate, then the solution doesn’t need to be you have to quit cold turkey and never play again,” Gentile said. “The issue is one of balance.”

Other psychologists see excessive gaming not as a condition itself, but rather as a symptom of, or coping mechanism for, life circumstances or mental illness.

“Are there people who have allowed games to take up a bigger space in their life because of circumstances? Or because of not knowing positive gaming strategies? Absolutely,” said  Ashley Elliott, PsyD , a psychologist in private practice in Arlington, Virginia, and a workshop consultant for  Take This,  a mental health nonprofit that serves the gaming community. “But for the majority of people who are experiencing these things, the game is not the culprit. Life is the culprit.” 

A  2023 study  in the  Journal of Sleep Research  (Liu, Y., et al., Vol. 32, No. 4), for one, found that adolescents with insomnia were more than twice as likely to develop IGD and substance use than those without the sleep disorder. One study that tracked hundreds of kids in South Korea over 4 years also suggests that issues like academic stress can lead to decreased self-control, which in turn raises the risk of pathological gaming ( Jeong, E. J., et al.,  Journal of Youth and Adolescence , Vol. 48, 2019 ).

“What tends to happen is you have someone who started with mental illness, and then they look for something fun that makes them feel important, or at least distracts them from their distress,” study coauthor Chris Ferguson, PhD, a psychology professor at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, said. “And games are fun, so it’s like self-medication.”

In some cases, like Dan’s from the case study, though, the reverse pattern is plausible, too. Gentile said he was surprised to see his research suggest that psychiatric disorders including depression, social phobias, and anxiety seemed to follow problematic gaming.

“This demonstrates that these are likely comorbid problems, because if you just went in and treated the depression, that’s not going to fix it—the gaming seems to be an independent or interacting factor,” Gentile said. “A good clinician doesn’t say, ‘Well, which one came first? We’ll just treat that one.’ A good clinician has to look at the total picture.”

Helping those at risk

One thing most psychologists do agree on is that sheer time spent gaming isn’t enough to qualify someone’s gaming as pathological. It’s all about context.

“Anything you love to do, you’re probably sacrificing some other area of life for,” Gentile said. “If you love golfing, you might skip out of work early some days or refuse to do something with your partner on a weekend. Does that harm your work? Yes. Does that harm your relationship? I guess that depends on your partner. But that doesn’t make it an addiction.”

While researchers are still working to understand what sets the “addicted” gamers apart from the “normal” ones, some traits—including being male, young, high in impulsivity and neuroticism, and low in openness and conscientiousness—put people at higher risk for the problem.

One 2023 study in the journal  Computers in Human Behavior  (Fraser, R., et al., Vol. 144) also found that people who said they felt less meaning in life were more likely to experience greater gaming disorder symptoms. Other research shows “psychological needs frustration” and “obsession passion” is related to problem gaming ( Remedios, J. C., et al.,  Addiction Research & Theory , 2023 ).

People’s motives for gaming matter, too. If you play for fun and socialization, for example, your gaming is more likely to remain healthy. But, “if you play games in order to forget about your problems, and you want to overcome your negative feelings with gaming, that predicts a problem,” Demetrovics said, pointing to his work and to Griffiths’s work ( Comprehensive Psychiatry , Vol. 94, 2019).

Certain conditions, including depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and social phobias also tend to co-occur with problem gaming, research shows ( González-Bueso, V., et al.,  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , Vol. 15, No. 4, 2018 ). The links make sense: Differences in the dopamine receptors among people with ADHD, for one, may help explain their need for highly stimulating activities, like gaming. Their tendency to hyperfocus, too, might make them especially susceptible to playing for long hours.

Brain differences don’t explain everything. “You can take five people who have a gaming disorder, and they’ll all have a different etiology explaining why they’re hooked on those games,” Griffiths said. “Some of them will be because of a predisposing psychological or physical or neurodevelopmental illness. For others, there may not be any comorbidities at all.”

But for all of them, there are potential solutions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy seems to be especially promising. A 2020 study in the journal  Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy  (Han, J., et al., Vol. 27, No. 2), for example, found the modality significantly improved problem gamers’ symptoms of IGD, as well as anxiety, impulsivity, and social avoidance, as compared to problem gamers assigned to a “supportive therapy” treatment.

A range of medications, including antidepressants and stimulants typically used to treat ADHD, can also benefit problem gamers, a 2023 meta-analysis found ( Clorado de Sá, R. R., et al.,  Psychiatry Investigation , Vol. 20, No. 8, 2023 ). “Several addiction drugs seem to be helpful here, too, which is interesting because that kind of makes the point plain that this is a brain disease, and it’s not that different from [substance use disorders],” Gentile said.

Anthony’s work has also revealed how mindfulness can curb people’s problematic gaming habits. In a small, 2017 Stage 1 clinical trial, she and colleagues randomly assigned participants to a mindfulness-based intervention or a support group. After 8 weeks, the mindfulness group had significantly greater reductions in the number of DSM-5 criteria they met for IGD, as well as fewer cravings for video gaming and maladaptive cognitions associated with gaming. The benefits held at the 3-month follow-up ( Li, W., et al.,  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors , Vol. 31, No. 4, 2017 ).

“Mindfulness doesn’t just help to regulate the behavior, it also helps cope with any sudden urge or craving,” Anthony said. “And, for people who use gaming as their primary way to cope with negative moods, emotions, or interpersonal conflict, mindfulness teaches alternative coping skills.”

Policy interventions may also help combat problem gaming. One 2023 study found that a year after China implemented policies to curb problematic smartphone use, the amount of time kids spent on their phones significantly dropped ( Yang, Q., et al., BMC Psychiatry , Vol. 23, No. 1, 2023 ). The group that had met criteria for addiction also fell below, on average, that threshold a year out.

Household rules can make a difference, too. In one of Gentile’s favorite studies, he and colleagues followed about 1,300 kids in two states over the course of a school year. They found that if parents set limits on the time and content of their kids’ video games, the kids tended to get better sleep, gain less weight, get better grades, and display more prosocial behavior and less aggression, as rated by their teachers ( JAMA Pediatrics , Vol. 168, No. 5, 2014 ).

“One simple thing—setting limits on amount and content of your children’s media—­influences all of that,” Gentile said.

Even simpler: Learn about your kids’ interest in gaming before condemning it, psychologists stress. “We always encourage parents to play together with their kids, to try to understand what they do and why they do it, because otherwise, it just looks like a stupid, useless activity,” Demetrovics said. “There might be rational reasons or seemingly irrational ones, but we have to go together on this path with them.”

Further reading

Can you really be addicted to video games? Jabr, F.,  The New York Times Magazine , Oct. 22, 2019

Prevalence of gaming disorder: A meta-analysis Kim, H. S., et al.,  Addictive Behaviors , 2022

An official Division 46 statement on the WHO proposal to include gaming related disorders in ICD-11 Ferguson, C., et al.,  The Amplifier Magazine , 2018

Esports see explosive growth in U.S. high schools Flannery, M. E.,  neaToday , Sept. 16, 2021

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