Towards a Wider Adoption of Serious Games in Higher Education: Deepening the Analysis of Benefits and Challenges

Abstract

Serious games, leveraging gamification principles, have garnered considerable attention as innovative educational tools, promising to revolutionize learning experiences across diverse educational domains. This paper presents an extensive examination of the multifaceted landscape surrounding the development, implementation, and evaluation of serious games in educational contexts, including a systematic review to be conducted. It scrutinizes the intricate interplay between cost and complexity inherent in the development and deployment of serious games, elucidating the nuanced considerations ranging from the integration of advanced technologies to the orchestration of interdisciplinary development teams. Moreover, it navigates through the labyrinth of challenges associated with ensuring equitable access to technology and providing robust pedagogical support, underscoring the pivotal role of infrastructural investments and educator training initiatives in fostering inclusive learning environments. Furthermore, the paper delves into the intricacies of seamlessly integrating serious games into existing curricula, emphasizing the imperative of aligning game-based learning objectives with educational standards while advocating for tailored teacher training programs to empower educators in leveraging serious games effectively. It also ventures into the dynamic realm of serious games content creation, delineating the iterative processes of ideation, design, narrative development, and user testing, underscored by the imperative of fostering learner engagement and facilitating meaningful learning experiences. Moreover, the paper illuminates the diverse array of platforms and technologies underpinning the distribution and accessibility of serious games, ranging from web-based interfaces to immersive virtual reality environments, while underscoring the imperative of selecting platforms that cater to diverse learning needs and technological infrastructures. By interrogating these multifaceted dimensions and conducting a systematic review, this paper offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the intricate nuances of serious games deployment in educational contexts, poised to inform future research endeavors and strategic initiatives aimed at harnessing the transformative potential of serious games for educational innovation.