Educational Games for Mobile Applications: A Systematic Literature Mapping

The increasing popularity of mobile devices and advancements in digital gaming have stimulated the development of educational solutions that combine entertainment and learning. As part of Mobile Learning (m-learning) and Game-Based Learning (GBL) approaches, mobile educational games have been shown...

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Main Authors: Jonathan José Cardoso de Sales, Sandro Ronaldo Bezerra Oliveira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Brazilian Computer Society 2025-07-01
Series:Journal on Interactive Systems
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Online Access:https://journals-sol.sbc.org.br/index.php/jis/article/view/5947
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author Jonathan José Cardoso de Sales
Sandro Ronaldo Bezerra Oliveira
author_facet Jonathan José Cardoso de Sales
Sandro Ronaldo Bezerra Oliveira
author_sort Jonathan José Cardoso de Sales
collection DOAJ
description The increasing popularity of mobile devices and advancements in digital gaming have stimulated the development of educational solutions that combine entertainment and learning. As part of Mobile Learning (m-learning) and Game-Based Learning (GBL) approaches, mobile educational games have been shown to promote motivation, engagement, and autonomy in the teaching process. This article presents a Systematic Literature Mapping (SLM) analysis of 176 studies published between 2019 and 2024 in the Scopus, Web of Science and IEEE Xplore databases. The objective was to identify trends, technologies, methodologies, and evaluation strategies relating to the development and use of educational games in mobile applications. The SLM protocol comprised three stages: planning, execution, and reporting. The results reveal the diversity of approaches and technologies adopted, including game engines, augmented reality, and native languages, as well as the application of various methodologies and gamification elements. There was also a growing emphasis on personalization and user-centered design. However, challenges such as a lack of standardization, limited empirical validation, and accessibility and infrastructure barriers persist. The SLM highlights the potential of mobile games in developing cognitive and socio-emotional skills and emphasizes the need for future studies to improve evaluation models and the personalization and application of these resources in different educational contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-ecf007a157444066bc8bd4f190007ed02025-08-20T03:31:56ZengBrazilian Computer SocietyJournal on Interactive Systems2763-77192025-07-0116110.5753/jis.2025.5947Educational Games for Mobile Applications: A Systematic Literature MappingJonathan José Cardoso de Sales0Sandro Ronaldo Bezerra Oliveira1Federal University of ParáFederal University of Pará The increasing popularity of mobile devices and advancements in digital gaming have stimulated the development of educational solutions that combine entertainment and learning. As part of Mobile Learning (m-learning) and Game-Based Learning (GBL) approaches, mobile educational games have been shown to promote motivation, engagement, and autonomy in the teaching process. This article presents a Systematic Literature Mapping (SLM) analysis of 176 studies published between 2019 and 2024 in the Scopus, Web of Science and IEEE Xplore databases. The objective was to identify trends, technologies, methodologies, and evaluation strategies relating to the development and use of educational games in mobile applications. The SLM protocol comprised three stages: planning, execution, and reporting. The results reveal the diversity of approaches and technologies adopted, including game engines, augmented reality, and native languages, as well as the application of various methodologies and gamification elements. There was also a growing emphasis on personalization and user-centered design. However, challenges such as a lack of standardization, limited empirical validation, and accessibility and infrastructure barriers persist. The SLM highlights the potential of mobile games in developing cognitive and socio-emotional skills and emphasizes the need for future studies to improve evaluation models and the personalization and application of these resources in different educational contexts. https://journals-sol.sbc.org.br/index.php/jis/article/view/5947Systematic Literature MappingEducational GamesMobile Applications
spellingShingle Jonathan José Cardoso de Sales
Sandro Ronaldo Bezerra Oliveira
Educational Games for Mobile Applications: A Systematic Literature Mapping
Journal on Interactive Systems
Systematic Literature Mapping
Educational Games
Mobile Applications
title Educational Games for Mobile Applications: A Systematic Literature Mapping
title_full Educational Games for Mobile Applications: A Systematic Literature Mapping
title_fullStr Educational Games for Mobile Applications: A Systematic Literature Mapping
title_full_unstemmed Educational Games for Mobile Applications: A Systematic Literature Mapping
title_short Educational Games for Mobile Applications: A Systematic Literature Mapping
title_sort educational games for mobile applications a systematic literature mapping
topic Systematic Literature Mapping
Educational Games
Mobile Applications
url https://journals-sol.sbc.org.br/index.php/jis/article/view/5947
work_keys_str_mv AT jonathanjosecardosodesales educationalgamesformobileapplicationsasystematicliteraturemapping
AT sandroronaldobezerraoliveira educationalgamesformobileapplicationsasystematicliteraturemapping