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REVIEW article

Front. Educ.
Sec. STEM Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1432982

A Systematic Review of Serious Games as Tools for STEM Education

Provisionally accepted
Talia Tene Talia Tene 1Diego Fabián Vique López Diego Fabián Vique López 2Paulina Elizabeth Valverde Aguirre Paulina Elizabeth Valverde Aguirre 2Nilo Israel Cabezas Oviedo Nilo Israel Cabezas Oviedo 2Cristian Vacacela Gomez Cristian Vacacela Gomez 3*Stefano Bellucci Stefano Bellucci 3*
  • 1 Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Loja, Ecuador
  • 2 Escuela Superior Politécnica del Chimborazo, Riobamba, Chimborazo, Ecuador
  • 3 National Laboratory of Frascati (INFN), Frascati, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: Serious games are increasingly recognized as innovative tools in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education, providing engaging and interactive learning environments that can enhance student performance, engagement, and learning outcomes. This systematic review aims to synthesize current research on serious games in STEM education, evaluating their impact and identifying implications for educators, policymakers, and future research. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and IEEE Xplore databases, yielding 584 articles. A total of 37 peer-reviewed journal articles met the inclusion criteria, guided by the PICOS framework, which focused on studies reporting the use of serious games in STEM education contexts. Data extraction included study characteristics, game types, participant demographics, educational contexts, and reported outcomes. Analysis: The selected studies were analyzed to assess the effectiveness of serious games in enhancing learning outcomes, engagement, and performance in STEM education. The analysis also explored challenges related to the implementation of serious games, including technological limitations, the need for comprehensive educator training, and ethical considerations around data privacy, all of which may impact adoption in educational settings. Results: Serious games demonstrated a positive impact on learning outcomes, such as knowledge acquisition, skill retention, and the application of STEM concepts, along with increased student engagement and motivation.These findings suggest that serious games can serve as valuable tools for educators seeking to foster active learning environments. For policymakers, the results indicate a need for strategic investments in technology infrastructure, teacher training, and curriculum integration to maximize the benefits of serious games in STEM education. However, significant limitations were identified, including technological barriers, variability in study quality, and the need for sustained educator support, which may impact generalizability and implementation.Conclusions: This review highlights the transformative potential of serious games as tools for STEM education but emphasizes the importance of addressing key challenges to realize their full benefits. For educators, implementing serious games requires alignment with curriculum goals and access to adequate training and resources. Policymakers are encouraged to support these efforts by providing financial resources and promoting frameworks for ethical, datasecure use of serious games in education.

    Keywords: Serious game, stem education, PICOS, PRISMA guidelines, Teaching and Learning

    Received: 15 May 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Tene, Vique López, Valverde Aguirre, Cabezas Oviedo, Vacacela Gomez and Bellucci. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Cristian Vacacela Gomez, National Laboratory of Frascati (INFN), Frascati, Italy
    Stefano Bellucci, National Laboratory of Frascati (INFN), Frascati, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.