Serious games as new educational tools: how effective are they? A meta‐analysis of recent studies

TLDR

Computer‑assisted learning is effective, and the recent rise of serious games—video games designed for useful purposes—has flooded the educational market. The study reviews experimental research on the effectiveness of video games and serious games for learning and engagement. The meta‑analysis finds inconsistent results, cannot draw reliable conclusions about effectiveness, highlights literature limitations, and offers suggestions for future research.

Abstract

Abstract Computer‐assisted learning is known to be an effective tool for improving learning in both adults and children. Recent years have seen the emergence of the so‐called ‘serious games (SGs)’ that are flooding the educational games market. In this paper, the term ‘serious games’ is used to refer to video games (VGs) intended to serve a useful purpose. The objective was to review the results of experimental studies designed to examine the effectiveness of VGs and SGs on players' learning and engagement. After pointing out the varied nature of the obtained results and the impossibility of reaching any reliable conclusion concerning the effectiveness of VGs and SGs in learning, we stress the limitations of the existing literature and make a number of suggestions for future studies.