Inventory of Digital Game-Based Learning Practices for Chemistry Education: A Systematic Review

This work-in-progress systematic review, conducted by researchers at the University of Liège, aims to map digital game-based learning (DGBL) practices in chemistry education from secondary through higher education. Its central premise is that existing reviews have been too broad, mixing board games, escape rooms, digital games, and gamified activities, and have often conflated game-based learning with gamification. The authors therefore propose a narrower focus on digital media, guided by three research questions covering available games and literature, their characteristics, and how they help overcome chemistry learning obstacles.

The study follows the PRISMA 2020 framework and searched three databases (ERIC, Scopus, EBSCO) along with two chemistry education journals (Journal of Chemical Education and Chemistry Education Research and Practice), supplemented by snowball searching and inclusion of grey literature. The initial search yielded 2,673 records, of which 2,242 remained after duplicate removal and automated exclusion. These records are currently being screened by title and abstract, a stage conducted by a single author. Eligibility criteria require chemistry education content, a pure game-based learning approach distinct from gamification, digital or mixed digital-analogue media, secondary-level or higher student populations, and accessibility through a platform or author contact.

At this stage the review reports no synthesized findings, as eligibility assessment and data extraction remain pending. The authors note that a meta-analytic component will be considered depending on the quality of extracted data. A secondary goal is to build a database of DGBL resources for chemistry educators that records attributes such as price, availability, language, and pedagogical scenario, a need the authors argue is only partially met by existing online listings. The paper is positioned as a foundation for later analysis of game mechanics, learning outcomes, and the mechanisms through which digital games address conceptual difficulties in chemistry.