Educational Games and Game-based Approaches in Higher Education: A Systematic Review (2014-2023)

Abstract

With the leap of modern information technology, game-based methods, as a new teaching mode of higher education institutions, is booming. However, the review of educational games or gamification approaches in higher education is still insufficient though it has great informative significance in this area. By using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses) method and two databases, namely Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, a total of 31 articles were selected, from 2014 to 2023, with inclusion criteria. Two themes emerged from this review, namely the benefits and the challenges of gamification approaches used in higher education institutions. The findings show that game-based learning methods can positively inspire motivation improvement, engagement improvement, learning effectiveness, and knowledge gain of learners in higher learning. But in the meantime, the findings point out that only the cooperation of learners, educators, and institutions can meet the challenges and finally lead to effective learning outcomes.