Abstract:

Purpose:
A number of literature reviews exist about the applications of board games in a wide spectrum of educational settings, but many are discipline-specific or do not focus solely on the higher education environment. The literature lacks a systematic review of current research about the application of analog board game play in higher education teaching and learning across disciplines. This systematic review collects current research on how analog board game play is being applied as an active, game-based teaching and learning tool to enhance knowledge acquisition in a variety of disciplines in higher education.

Method:
Electronic searches using combinations of the keywords “board game,” “analog board game,” and “higher education” OR “college” OR “university” were performed in EBSCO Academic Search Complete, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Central. Results were limited to academic journal articles and conference papers published between 2018 and 2022 that described in-person play of non-digital games, made up of physical components such as dice, cards, tokens, game boards, etc., in a higher education environment. Tabletop role-playing games were excluded as they can be played without using physical game components. 50 articles were selected for inclusion in the review. Included articles were coded based on the type of analog board game used, method of application, and the academic discipline in which analog board game play was applied.

Results:
The literature reveals analog board game play applications in teaching and learning in a variety of higher education disciplines. 7 (14%) of the reviewed articles focus on game play in Healthcare and Health Professions courses, 6 (12%) focus on Engineering courses, 6 (12%) focus on Mathematics courses, 5 (10%) focus on Business courses, 4 (8%) focus on Education courses, and 3 (6%) focus on Language courses, including two English as a Foreign Language courses. Courses in disciplines such as Aquaculture, Biology, Chemistry, Communication Studies, Computer Science, Game Design, Geology, History, Library and Information Science, and Social Science feature analog board game play to a lesser degree. Analog board game play was used to improve academic performance, deepen content knowledge, improve knowledge retention, simulate real-world applications of course content, develop cultural awareness, and develop 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. The literature indicates that a variety of game types are used in higher education teaching and learning, including commercially available games, adaptations of commercially available games, and serious games.

Conclusions:
The use of analog board game play to facilitate teaching and learning is represented across disciplines in higher education, with strongest representation in Healthcare, Engineering, Mathematics, and Education. Pervasive application of analog board game play in higher education suggests that game-based learning using analog board games is a viable pedagogical approach, regardless of discipline, that should be explored in greater depth.

Keywords:

Analog board games, commercial games, game-based learning, game design, game play, gaming, higher education, serious games.