Digital Games, Design, and Learning

By Douglas B. Clark, E. Tanner‐Smith, Stephen S. Killingsworth. Review of Educational Research, 2016

804 citations recorded by the source corpus.

In this meta-analysis, we systematically reviewed research on digital games and learning for K–16 students. We synthesized comparisons of game versus nongame conditions (i.e., media comparisons) and comparisons of augmented games versus standard game designs (i.e., value-added comparisons). We used random-effects meta-regression models with robust variance estimates to summarize overall effects and explore potential moderator effects. Results from media comparisons indicated that digital games significantly enhanced student learning relative to nongame conditions ( g ¯ = 0.33, 95% confidence interval [0.19, 0.48], k = 57, n = 209). Results from value-added comparisons indicated significant learning benefits associated with augmented game designs ( g ¯ = 0.34, 95% confidence interval [0.17, 0.51], k = 20, n = 40). Moderator analyses demonstrated that effects varied across various game mechanics characteristics, visual and narrative characteristics, and research quality characteristics. Taken together, the results highlight the affordances of games for learning as well as the key role of design beyond medium.

Subfields: Developmental and Educational Psychology, Education, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/acc8300902dd0a467edd2daa196b65e4e1eaaaa5

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Developmental and Educational Psychology

1. Yunhuo Cui
2. Hao Lei
3. Ming Ming Chiu
4. Weijie Mao
5. Min Gao
6. Zhonggen Yu
7. Lifei Wang
8. Lawrence Khoo

In Education

1. Ming Ming Chiu
2. Zhonggen Yu
3. Marjolein Zee
4. H. Koomen
5. Einar M. Skaalvik
6. Sidsel Skaalvik
7. Dániel Horn

In Sociology and Political Science

1. Ming Ming Chiu
2. Min Gao
3. Zhonggen Yu
4. Lifei Wang
5. Dániel Horn

Citations in the corpus

• Effects of Game-Based Learning on Students’ Critical Thinking: A Meta-Analysis (2021, methodology): “Scholars disagree over whether GBL includes learning from game construction (yes: Prensky, 2008; Van Eck, 2006; no: Clark et al., 2016), so we include such studies and test whether their results differ from those of other GBL.”
• The Effect of Educational Games on Learning Outcomes, Student Motivation, Engagement and Satisfaction (2020, background): “Game mechanics characteristics, visual and narrative characteristics, and research quality characteristics could greatly influence learning outcomes, which indicated that the design of games played a key role in learning (Clark et al., 2016).”