Features of Entertainment Digital Games for Learning and Developing Complex Problem-Solving Skills: A Protocol for a Systemic Review

Abstract

Entertainment digital games (EDGs) can be used to promote real-world-relevant learning, even if they have not been specifically designed for educational purposes. This is especially true for EDGs that engage players in contexts that mimic real-world problem scenarios and support the development of knowledge and skills that can be transferred to out-of-game contexts. In these cases, gameplay learning can be a very effective means of promoting those cognitive capabilities that are central to addressing real-world challenges requiring complex problem-solving (CPS), but at the same time are particularly difficult to foster through formal educational environments and approaches. However, what features of EDGs can simultaneously promote player enjoyment and CPS processes, which specific CPS skills can be fostered, and by which mechanisms, are questions that remain largely unanswered in the current literature. This paper presents a protocol for a systematic review that aims to address this gap by examining relevant analysis and design frameworks for entertainment games. Selected frameworks will be reviewed by combining a game-centric and a player- centric perspective to identify structural elements of gameplay environments and tasks that may affect psychological processes relevant to the promotion of CPS capabilities. To this end, each framework will be subjected to a formal content analysis in which data will be extracted, coded, and analyzed based on the Work System Theory (WST) and the Cognitive Work Analysis (CWS) frameworks. The main outcome of the proposed systematic review will be a knowledge base that can help researchers, developers and practitioners to select the most appropriate methodological frameworks for the analysis and design of entertainment games capable of promoting CPS skills through gameplay learning. In addition, this protocol can also inform and guide further reviews of methods for analyzing and designing educational games.