Feedback System in Educational Games: A Systematic Literature Review

A significant increase in research on educational computer games in recent years has proven that the demand for educational games has increased as well. However, production of incompatible educational games not only cost wastage of money but also energy and time for game designers and game developers. To produce a suitable educational game, it is important to understand the user’s need as well as the educational need. Therefore, this study aims to develop a User Experience (UX) framework for educational games (EDUGX) based on UX elements and psychometrically validate a new instrument, EDUGX questionnaire (EDUGXQ) that is appropriate to evaluate educational games. Based on literature review, six main UX elements were identified which are Flow, Immersion, Player Context, Game Usability, Game System and Learnability to construct the framework. In this paper, we first discussed the development process of EDUGX framework followed by EDUGXQ. This study will also review and discuss several UX questionnaires for educational games in UX design evaluation which at the same time supports the framework’s elements to develop the EDUGXQ.

One strength of educational games is their adaptivity to the individual learning progress. Methods to assess progress during gameplay are limited, especially in virtual reality (VR) settings, which show great potential for educational games because of their high immersion. We propose the concept of adaptive hints using progress assessment based on player behavior tracked through a VR-system's tracking capabilities. We implemented Social Engineer, a VR-based educational game teaching basic knowledge about social engineering (SE). In two user studies, we will evaluate the performance of the progress assessment and the effects of the intervention through adaptive hints on the players' experience and learning effects. This research can potentially benefit researchers and practitioners, who want to assess progress in educational games and leverage the real-time assessment for adaptive hint systems with the potential of improved player experience and learning outcomes.

This study tested the effects of implementing a narrative computer-based educational game within a middle-school math class. Gameplay consisted of navigating through a virtual spaceship and completing missions by periodically engaging in learning-by-teaching activities that involved helping an avatar solve math problems. In a pretest/posttest matched-groups design, 58 middle-school students either played the game for 10 hours over 4 days in place of their typical math instruction (game group), or they received conventional math instruction that consisted of a matched set of practice problems (control group). Contrary to our hypotheses, results from posttest measures indicated no significant differences in learning outcomes or motivation between the two groups. Importantly, supplementary observational data indicated that students in the game group spent much of their time during gameplay engaging in activities unrelated to the educational content of the game (e.g., navigating the virtual world) and only 20% of their time engaging in learning-by-teaching activities. These results highlight the importance of designing educational games that effectively balance features intended to entertain learners and features intended to promote learning. Implications for implementing educational games into classroom instruction are discussed.

Despite extensive research demonstrating the effectiveness of digital educational games in enhancing various learning outcomes, skepticism persists regarding their practical applicability in diverse educational settings. This study addresses a significant gap in literature by providing an empirical evaluation of a cellular biology educational game in post-secondary biology instruction across varied delivery contexts. The tower defense game, Life on the Edge, was assessed for impacts on academic achievement, multidimensional engagement, and disengagement after controlling learner factors (perceived prior knowledge, goal orientations, and game experience) in different biology undergraduate course contexts (online and face-to-face lecture and laboratory) at a Canadian public university. Nine hundred seventy-four students participated in the study, of which 449 were in experimental groups using the game, and 525 were in control groups using alternative learning resources. We conducted a t-test and found no significant differences in academic achievement within the three-course contexts. However, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed that integrating the game in different course contexts improved behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement while reducing behavioral disengagement. This study provides empirical evidence of the engagement benefits of integrating educational video games into diverse course contexts. However, cognitive and emotional disengagement effects were inconsistent across these settings, highlighting the complexity of learner-game interactions. These results underscore the need for tailored implementation strategies to optimize the impact of digital games in education. By bridging research and practice, the study contributes to the theoretical understanding of game-based engagement and practical approaches for integrating educational games into post-secondary curricula.

Mathematics learning in elementary schools is often considered difficult and uninteresting by students, resulting in low motivation and learning outcomes. To overcome this problem, gamification comes as one of the innovative approaches in learning by integrating game elements such as points, levels, challenges, and rewards into the learning process. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of gamification in improving mathematics learning outcomes of elementary school students through the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. The literature analyzed was sourced from various scientific publications, including journals and conference proceedings published between 2015 and 2025, using databases such as Google Scholar, Crossref, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex. The study’s findings indicate that the implementation of gamification, through platforms like Wordwall, Quizizz, Kahoot, and other educational games, has been proven to enhance conceptual understanding, learning motivation, and active student participation in mathematics education. However, the success of gamification implementation is influenced by infrastructure readiness, teachers' digital skills, and appropriate instructional design. Thus, gamification has great potential as a long-term learning strategy that can make math more fun and meaningful for elementary school students.

This paper explores the use of modern sensor technologies for physical interaction in educational games and interactive spaces. The paper presents a prototype of an educational game developed using a motion capture controller and two biofeedback sensors (EEG, ECG), proposing a generic architecture for multi-sensor interactive spaces. Target of this research is to study further the potential effect of such technologies on educational interactive games, in two aspects: i) on the involvement of human body and motion in the process of learning, and recall of knowledge, ii) on assisting the development of basic social emotional competencies, through the enhanced social affordances of embodied games.

Teaching science through computer games, simulations, and artificial intelligence (AI) is an increasingly active research field. To this end, we conducted a systematic literature review on serious games for science education to reveal research trends and patterns. We discussed the role of virtual reality (VR), AI, and augmented reality (AR) games in teaching science subjects like physics. Specifically, we covered the research spanning between 2011 and 2021, investigated country-wise concentration and most common evaluation methods, and discussed the positive and negative aspects of serious games in science education in particular and attitudes towards the use of serious games in education in general.

Video games are increasingly recognized as a compelling platform for instruction that could be leveraged to teach students at scale. Hint systems that provide personalized feedback to students in real time are a central component of many effective interactive learning environments, however little is known about how hints impact player behavior and motivation in educational games. In this work, we study the effectiveness of hints by comparing four designs based on successful hint systems in intelligent tutoring systems and commercial games. We present results from a study of 50,000 students showing that all four hint systems negatively impacted performance compared to a baseline condition with no hints. These results suggest that traditional hint systems may not translate well into the educational game environment, highlighting the importance of studying student behavior to understand the impact of new interactive learning technologies.

Educational board games are a promising tool for implementing game-based learning to improve the teaching-learning process. However, the absence of comprehensive scholarly guidance on designing educational board games impedes the effective implementation of game-based learning in classrooms. The sparsely available studies on game design frameworks often confine themselves to the design of the educational game itself, without including guidelines for the classroom integration of such games within the design framework. Additionally, the literature often neglects that teachers, burdened by limited time and excessive workload, are often the sole participants in the game design process. To address these gaps, we introduce a practical framework for educators to design and seamlessly integrate educational board games in their classrooms. Our approach prioritizes minimizing additional teacher workload while using game-based learning to foster student-led problem-solving sessions and game revision. Drawing from game design principles and existing literature on game-based learning, we propose a comprehensive framework that guides educators through the design and implementation of educational board games tailored for conducting problem-solving sessions. The framework is validated and refined using qualitative analysis of teacher and student feedback after its seamless integration into the regular mathematics instruction and curriculum of a Philippine K-12 high school. Results indicate positive student experiences and highlight the framework’s efficacy in promoting student engagement, learning outcomes, and teacher convenience. Thematic analysis of student feedback highlights key design preferences and game features that enhance student experiences in GBL sessions. The study contributes to the advancement of GBL methodologies by offering practical guidelines for independent use by educators and promoting exchanges between teacher colleagues. Overall, the proposed framework offers a systematic and feasible approach to designing and implementing educational board games, fostering effective learning experiences in diverse educational contexts.

Objective: This study aimed to know the impact of gamification in English learning in a junior high school English club as an extracurricular activity on students' interests and learning outcomes. Theoretical Framework: The research draws on constructivism theory and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to comprehend how educational games allow active participation and learning outcomes improvement of the students. Method: The participants were divided into three groups: two experimental groups and one control group. The experimental group learned English using the developed computer game that underwent the feasibility test, while the control group did not use the game during learning. Data were collected through observation, questionnaires, and teacher and student interviews for triangulation and tests. Results and Discussion: The experimental groups showed more active student participation than the control group. Questionnaire results indicated high student interest, enjoyment, and enthusiasm for continued learning and the hope that extracurricular activities would differ from curricular learning because the students were tired. Learning outcomes revealed that more than 75% of students in the experimental groups achieved individual completeness, which shows that the experimental groups achieved the specified classical completeness. Research Implications: This study provides valuable recommendations for English teachers and stakeholders to improve the quality of English learning in English club activities in junior high schools. Originality/Value: This research contributes theoretically and practically to English learning. It provides valuable insights into how gamification can foster joyful learning in English.

<p><em>The digitisation of education, such as the Chromebook procurement programme by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, is an important indicator of the readiness of educational units to face the challenges of the 21st century. However, the lack of innovation among teachers in utilising this technology has resulted in low student learning outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to review the literature on the development of interactive media on the human digestive system (Si CerMa) to improve the learning outcomes of fifth-grade elementary school students in science. The research method used in this study is the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. Data collection was carried out by documenting articles published in the last five years. A total of 20 accredited national and international journal articles obtained from Google Scholar, SINTA, and DOAJ were used in this study. The results showed that Si CerMa media, which contains learning outcomes and objectives, materials and videos, student worksheets based on Problem-Based Learning (PBL), evaluations, and educational games, can significantly improve student learning outcomes. The conclusion of this study is that the interactive Si CerMa media is effective and suitable for use in primary school learning to improve learning outcomes, with the main features being developer profiles, learning outcomes and objectives, material on the human digestive system and its functions, evaluation, and edugames.</em></p>

This paper presents initial findings and ongoing work of the game creation tool, a core component of the IOLAOS(IOLAOS in ancient Greece was a divine hero famed for helping with some of Heracles’s labors.) platform, a general open authorable framework for educational and training games. The game creation tool features a web editor, where the game narrative can be manipulated, according to specific needs. Moreover, this tool is applied for creating an educational game according to a reference scenario namely teaching schoolers road safety. A ludic approach is used both in game creation and play. Helping children staying safe and preventing serious injury on the roads is crucial. In this context, this work presents an augmented version of the IOLAOS architecture including an enhanced game creation tool and a new multimodality module. In addition presents a case study for creating educational games for teaching road safety, by employing ludic interfaces for both the game creator and the game player, as well as ludic game design.

The use of computer games in education has been increasing in popularity during the past decade. Game-based learning environments are designed to teach specific knowledge content and skill-based learning outcomes using game elements. One main reason for using game-based learning environments is to increase student motivation and engagement while teaching learning outcomes. Many of the game-based learning environments are designed so that students will reach maximum flow, which is defined as students being so completely immersed in that game that they do not notice that they are learning. These learning environments have been shown to improve many behaviour and cognitive learning outcomes. While game-based learning has many benefits, some educational researchers have indicated that it is often very costly to develop a complex game-based assessment to teach a few learning outcomes. Hence, in some cases it is more beneficial to approach the use of computer games in education using gamification.

BackgroundGamification is a novel educational method that adopts elements of games to motivate students using participatory learning. The objective of this study was to measure the effect of participation in an Instagram-based educational game on learning outcomes. MethodExperimental design with 291 university students in a first-year course of the Bachelor of Nursing during the 2020–21 academic year. ResultsAfter ruling out pretest sensitization, we identified a positive effect of participation in the educational game. An average improvement of 0.62 points was observed in the final grade of the students belonging to the experimental groups. ConclusionNursing undergraduate students participating an Instagram-based educational game had better learning outcomes than their counterparts who did not participate in the game.

Technology enhanced learning is lately considered as an innovative educational procedure which derives from the usage of digital games with pedagogical value. In the recent years the usage of Serious Games for the learning of History and Culture is widespread. Serious Games is a group of digital games that aim to learning in an entertaining way and are being used widely in cultural education. Especially when the targeted learners are children and teenagers, the graphical user interface (GUI) and user experience (UX) is one of the most important feature of serious games. An educational game must be attractive and reach the levels of experience of the entertainment digital games, with which the children today are most familiar. The paper focuses on the creation of a 3D digital game, based on learning theories of constructivism of Piaget and social constructivism of Vygotsky regarding the implementation of an educational serious digital game. The students are involved in the game where they are able to take a tour of “El Greco's Travels and Artwork”.