Guest editors:
Dr. Elena Makarova, Institute for Educational Sciences, University of Basel
Dr. Alexander Schmoelz, Austrian Institute for Research on VET
Dr. Michelle Proyer, Center for Teacher Education/Department of Education, University of Vienna
Dr. Gertraud Kremsner, Inclusive Education, University of Leipzig
Susanne Prummer, Inclusive Education, University of Vienna
Stephanie Renggli, Institute for Educational Sciences, University of Basel

Editorial introduction: Games are increasingly used for educational purposes as they can be interactive in nature, are based on defined rules following a specific logic, have an explicit and carefully elaborated educational intent, and provide individual feedback to players (Martens, Diener, & Malo, 2008; Hainey, Connolly, Stansfield, & Boyle, 2011; Wouters, Oostendorp, Vrugte, van der Cruysse, Jong, & Elen, 2017). The pedagogically valuable potential of (digital) games is particularly clear in their ability to consider the needs, interests and abilities of a target audience, increase the intrinsic learning motivation of gamers and integrate learning, fun and simulation (Wastiau, Kearney, & Van den Berghe, 2009; Hainey et al., 2011). Serious games are currently receiving a great deal of attention in the field of education, not least due to challenges posed by a global pandemic.

Furthermore, some core studies on their potential to promote inclusion in education have been conducted (Makarova, Driesel-Lange, Lüthi, & Hofmann, 2017; Proyer et al., 2017; Schmoelz, 2016; Schmoelz et al., 2017) and, beyond that, to build a foundation for further research. International perspectives on the nexus of digital games and inclusion need to further work out how digital games can contribute to paving the way towards a more inclusive society. A wide variety of perspectives in relation to gamers, developers, design and content, including (among others) people with disabilities, people with migration or refugee backgrounds, cross-generational groups, and LGBTIQs are at the core of a broad understanding of inclusion that goes beyond a mere focus on disability.

In this special issue international perspectives on digital games and inclusion show a two-fold approach to game-based learning for inclusion and learning as well as to the inclusiveness of gamedesign and game development processes. International perspectives on digital games and inclusion entail both empirical and theoretical approaches from different disciplines and locations, and especially emphasize participatory approaches, also in the dissemination of games. Different educational foci and different stages of game design, development and implementation are at the centre of this.

Written by:
Christopher Keller, University of Basel, Switzerland
Anna K. Döring, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom
Elena Makarova, University of Basel, Switzerland

Abstract: Serious Games for children and adolescents with disabilities can enhance their learning and respond to their needs in an inclusive educational setting. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the potential of Serious Games for children and young people with disabilities, thereby providing an overview of effective Serious Games for schools and practitioners in the field of inclusive education. For this purpose, a systematic review of empirical literature found in the database Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC) was conducted, applying a qualitative content analysis. Findings from the 21 reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies indicate that Serious Games provide effective support for achieving learning objectives in certain school subjects and facilitate optimal conditions for learning. We found that Serious Games have strong potential and can make an important contribution to the inclusion of children and adolescents with disabilities in school.

Keywords: serious games, children and adolescents with disabilities, inclusion, systematic review

Written by: Kelly Bergstrom, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Abstract: Night in the Woods (NITW) was released in 2017 and has met with commercial and critical success. The low technical requirements and compelling narrative that speaks to issues directly impacting young adults makes it a compelling text to use in a university classroom. Theoretically informed by feminist game studies, in this article I report on the successes, failures, and lessons learned from using NITW as a required text across three Communication Studies courses. I argue that while the cultural baggage that surrounds games does not disappear just because we step into a classroom, the unique perspectives offered by novice players who are not yet fully enmeshed in gaming’s norms and expectations offer the potential for unique insights and teachable moments. Ultimately, in this article I put forward the following provocation: how would we reimagine a university-level game studies seminar if we designed our curriculum as if all our students were first time players?

Keywords: Night in the Woods; non-players; inclusion; curriculum; games in the classroom; novices

Written by: Lisa-Katharina Moehlen, University of Vienna

Abstract: The Global Initiative for Sustainable Development (Sustainable Development Goal 4) proclaims education for all, which means that people’s individual potentials should be promoted, their heterogeneous abilities and interests should be appreciated, and existing resources should be used for educational processes. In recent decades, the game-based learning approach has gained prominence in the educational landscape. The approach proclaims a paradigmatic shift in education away from efficiency-oriented, standardized testing to co-constructive, game-based learning processes. This framework opens up the research question: How can digital and analogue games contribute to enable inclusion in educational settings? The empirical data consists of audio and video recordings of an Erasmus+ workshop with 19 participants playing eleven (digital) games for approximately two hours. The data provided was secondarily analysed using the Documentary Method and a participatory research design. The results show that the players were confronted with social hierarchies and power structures while playing the games. Interestingly, players directly reflected on their actions, behaviours, and assumptions. In doing so, participants reconsidered their deeply held assumptions and habits of social categorization as games provided the space for repetitive actions. Thus, players tried different behaviours and varied multiple solution paths. Moreover, the results show that players’ self-efficacy increases during the game. The study highlights different types of (re)acting to avoid social categorization and promote inclusion.

Keywords: inclusive education; (digital) game-based learning; participatory research; social categorization; dis/ability; culture; gender

Written by:
Elizabeth Boyle, University of the West of Scotland
Melody Terras, University of the West of Scotland
Murray Stewart Leith, University of the West of Scotland
Duncan Sim, University of the West of Scotland
Athanassios Jimoyiannis, University of Peloponnese
Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge, Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik
Nadera Sultana Tany, Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik
Hans Hummel, Open University of the Netherlands
Petar Jandric, University of Applied Sciences in Zagreb

Abstract: The diversity of the EU is both a strength and a weakness, with Issues of National and European identity contributing to division, marginalization and exclusion. Many European citizens have very firmly entrenched, but frequently simplistic, views about the value of the European Union as good (pro EU) or bad (anti EU). To promote a culture of increased tolerance and inclusion, EU citizens need to develop a more mature and nuanced understanding of National and European identity that considers the validity of others’ points of view. Serious Games are increasingly recognised as active and effective methods for tackling complex social problems. Therefore, the RU EU? (are you EU?) project developed a game to increase players’ awareness of the complexity of European identity and values, to help players develop a more detailed understanding of European identity and promote critical thinking about their own views, the views of others, and the wider societal consequences. In this paper we describe the RU EU? Game as a case study explaining the thinking behind the game design. We outline the early design tasks that led to development of the multicomponent model of European identity that we used in the game, the adoption of the journalist narrative and the tools that assisted the player in his goal of compiling and publishing a set of articles about European identity. We discuss the potential of the game tools and mechanics to be used more widely to promote social understanding and inclusion.

Keywords: serious games; European identity; inclusion; case study; journalist narrative

Written by: Elke Schlote & Andrin Major, University of Basel

Abstract: Our qualitative analysis focuses on prosocial depictions of mental health issues in entertaining video games, with the theoretical lens of Critical Disability Studies. The inquiry of four video games in our sample focuses on a. how the depictions of the mental health issues were constructed in the games’ production process and b. how these issues are represented in the products’ structures. The method of document analysis allowed us to reconstruct how and to which end game designers and mental health experts collaborated during the production process towards implementing the mental health issues. Employing methods of game studies, we analyzed the depiction of the main playable character, the interaction design and the gameplay. In conclusion, the four indie video games can be played with or without a deeper insight into the mental health issue. The way the mental health issues are constructed in the video games shows that they are mainly illustrative for an individualized, medical model of mental health. Gameplay was mostly linear, and there was little room for interactivity in terms of choices or self-guided exploration. This can be traced back to the production process, as the game designers mainly relied on the advice of medical professionals and/or the introspection of individuals with a lived experience of the mental health issue. Although the analyzed video games are commendable for their efforts to engage with mental health issues in a prosocial and playful way, their usefulness for fostering a comprehensive mental health education is limited.

Keywords: video games; mental health education; game studies; production analysis; product analysis

Written by: Bruno de Paula, University College London

Abstract: This paper explores a game-making programme for 14 Latin American migrants aged 13-18 in London/UK, carried out between October/2017-January/2018, where I investigated the relationships between game conventions, platforms and personal preferences in the curation of fluid identities through game production. Participants presented varying levels of affinity with games linked both to access issues and to other specific elements (e.g. perception of games in contemporary culture, gender). Questionnaires, observations, unstructured/semistructured interviews and gaming archives were employed to explore this participatory initiative and data was analysed through Multimodal Sociosemiotics. Findings remarked how shared understandings about digital games can find their way into platforms and act as “cultural-technical gatekeepers”, supporting or hindering the engagement with game-making of those often perceived as outsiders to gaming culture. This gatekeeping happens when there are “creative dissonances” between, for example, personal preferences and platforms aligned to normative/mainstream genres. These dissonances, however, can end up fostering subversive designs, contravening gaming conventions and potentially challenging traditional gaming boundaries. This insight is relevant for understanding “cultural-technical constraints” and subversive/non-mainstream game-making, especially in relation to innovation and appropriation of game-making resources/strategies by non-mainstream groups.

Keywords: game-making; Latin America; inclusivity; conventions; identities

Written by:
Polyxeni Kaimara, Department of Audio & Visual Arts-Ionian University, Corfu, Greece
Ioannis Deliyannis, Department of Audio & Visual Arts-Ionian University, Corfu, Greece
Andreas Oikonomou, School of Pedagogical & Technological Education, Thessaloniki, Greece
Emmanuel Fokides, Department of Primary Education, University of the Aegean, Rhodes, Greece
George Miliotis, Department of Audio & Visual Arts-Ionian University, Corfu, Greece

Abstract: Education is the cornerstone for a society without discrimination as it promotes full personality development and enhances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. As a result of the “Education for all” policy, more children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) are included in neighbourhood schools regardless of their cognitive, physical or emotional condition. Inclusive education (IE) focuses on learning motivation and styles, different students’ learning pace, learning objectives, methods, personalized strategies, material, and content. The degree of independent living of both children with or without SEND is one of the main concerns of educators, parents, and therapists. Children with SEND often struggle to achieve independence because of their limitations in adaptive behaviour. Considering valid epistemological backgrounds, pedagogical frameworks and a range of intervention strategies focusing on those skills, the paper presents an innovate transmediabased game development method for inclusive education, combining traditional games, art-based production, and game development methodologies with cutting-edge technologies involving 360° videos, virtual, and augmented reality.

Keywords: augmented reality; special educational needs and/or disabilities; transmedia learning; virtual reality; 360 degrees interactive videos