Work

The opportunities and challenges of serious games for people with an intellectual disability

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Serious Games (SG) are increasingly used to deliver education and training to support well‐being, social skills, independent living and online safety. This presents opportunities and challenges for users, developers and educational providers to ensure their benefits are available to all. People with intellectual disability (ID) experience high levels of digital exclusion. This article reviews and synthesises the literature on the use of SG with people with ID. Recent work indicates the importance of the psycho‐social profile of the gameplayer, mechanics and game context. We consider how these factors influence the inclusivity of SG and how they could be addressed. We demonstrate how a psychological perspective illuminates the impact of the user's psychological profile on game use and effectiveness, and explore how culture, personalisation and learning analytics can increase inclusivity of SG. We conclude by identifying wider challenges such as the need for multi‐disciplinary working and a more integrated, conceptual framework for games design which addresses diversity in learning needs.

Source: British Journal of Educational Technology

DOI: 10.1111/bjet.12638

Authors: Melody M. Terras, Elizabeth A. Boyle, Judith Ramsay, Dominic Jarrett

Institutions: University of the West of Scotland, Manchester Metropolitan University, NHS Ayrshire and Arran

Language: English

Topic: Educational Games and Gamification

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being, Quality education

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2886520040

FWCI: 6.872

Cites: 35

Cited by: 54

Related to: 10