Do you remember your first digital game? How was the experience? Did you learn something from it?
Digital games have been known for many years. Nintendo was one of the first console video games that was popular in the 80s and nowadays, there are millions of games on various platforms. Digital games were initially developed for entertainment. It can also be time-consuming and may distract students from learning. But, today many games are used to support student learning, promote active learning, and help students with an immersive environment. In addition, digital games can also be used for research purposes.
For example, a digital learning environment using various games and tasks to learn math or science can provide data, such as log data, time spent, or give instant feedbacks. A recent review of 44 articles by Fitriyah et al. (2025), found that digital games can help students get better at solving problems and thinking critically in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education. The benefits depend on the game and how it’s used, and the strongest results often come from using immersive learning platforms, such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality alongside inquiry-based activities, such as virtual experiment.
Learning science in the lower education level is usually fun with simple and contextual examples in daily life, outdoor class as nature observation, or fun experiments. However, learning science can become more difficult as the grade goes higher, for example, while all disciplines can be challenging, physics and chemistry are subjects that student tend to struggle with at the upper secondary school level. Learning science needs a deep understanding to bridge the gaps between theory, phenomena, and evidence.
Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is an approach that uses digital games for learning. DGBL comes with a clear purpose, to make learning enjoyable and engaging. One of the advantages of using DGBL as learning approaches is to visualize the concept, which is usually way too abstract for students. For example, when a student starts learning about energy. Energy itself does not have any physical form or shape, but energy has measurable value and it could convert, such as electrical to kinetic energy. As a bonus, some games could engage and motivate students to learn more. However, there still needs to be limitations when using games for learning. Teachers should guide students by choosing the right games and making sure there’s a clear goal. It could be better if the game is designed specifically for learning science.
For schools and educators, DGBL can be a great way to support learning. For parents it is important to supervise their children on what games they play and how much time they spend. And for students, learning science doesn’t have to be boring. It can be fun if you find the right way for you, like learning through games.
Arka Yanitama
I am a doctoral researcher at the Turku Research Institute for Learning Analytics, and my research interest is using digital game-based learning (DGBL) in science education to explore students' engagement and conceptual understanding.
References:
Al-Muqbali, A., Al-Nabhani, Z., & Shahat, M. A. (2026). Digital game-based learning in science education: Advancing motivation and deep understanding among middle school girls. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 16(2), 423–445. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.3839
Which Is Hard Physics Or Chemistry? Here’s What Science Says. (2023, June 28). https://scienceoxygen.com/which-is-hard-physics-or-chemistry-heres-what-science-says/
