Games in Education: Bibliometric Analysis

Introduction

A game is generally defined as an activity that serves to achieve various gains without limitations such as the number of players or rules and that comes to life in various ways (Lai et al., 2018). Salen and Zimmerman (2004) defined the game as “an artificial conflict system with a rule-defined and measurable outcome” (p. 83) Although there is no one-size-fits-all definition of what a game is in the literature, the basic features of one should generally be the same. Accordingly, for an activity to be considered a game, the game must have a rule-based system, variable and measurable results, different values / points given for different results during the game, and outputs that change with the effort of the player; at the same time, all players must feel emotionally connected to the outputs obtained during the game, and play must emerge because of a debatable activity (Juul, 2005). As with the definition of what a game is, there are also different approaches for game types. For example, games can be classified in various ways according to whether they are digital or not, the platform / environment they are played in, the tools used during the game, the participation status of the players, and game flow (Cojocariu & Boghian, 2014; Lai et al., 2018). However, it can be inferred that games can be grouped under the following categories: serious games and digital games, which are commonly and increasingly used today.

Serious games, which are frequently used in education, primarily serve the purpose of teaching professional skills and life skills (Clapper, 2018). Serious games can act as a supportive strategy to increase student participation and satisfaction, as well as being effective learning tools for knowledge and skill acquisition (Sipiyaruk et al., 2018). Research on serious games has shown that this type of game facilitates students’ understanding of concepts holistically; enables them to acquire cognitive abilities; supports teaching; has positive effects on students’ attitudes; provides them with flexible learning opportunities, improves learning outcomes; increases their motivation; attracts their attention; changes their behavior; facilitates socio-cultural learning; supports cognitive development; allows for multiple assessment; provides equal opportunities in terms of participation in the lesson, makes learning more enjoyable; opens opportunities for constructive feedback; and enables peer interaction (Allery, 2014; Clapper, 2018; De Freitas, 2018; Lai et al., 2018; Zhonggen, 2019).

Another type of game that has been increasingly used in education in recent years is the digital game. Many types of digital games have been used as auxiliary tools in teaching for a long period to support elements such as student participation and learning outcomes (Bado, 2019; Ke, 2016). Studies have shown that using digital games in the educational process can meet a wide range of needs. For example, Shah et al. (2018) pointed out that interventions presented in the digital game format can play a positive role in the prevention and elimination of mental disorders. In addition, compared to traditional teaching, digital games seem to be more effective in terms of variables such as attitude, motivation, skill acquisition, and student participation (Jackson et al., 2018). Therefore, different types of games used in education, whether it takes place in or out of school, provide important contributions to both students and teachers. Their potential has been explained in different ways by many theorists. To reveal these forms of expression, first, the theoretical foundations of the game will be mentioned in this study; then, the basic dynamics of the study will be outlined.