Research on Serious Games: Bibliometric Study of Current Status and Future Trends

Serious games are digital software for learning rather than for entertainment. They have been effective in different environments. Research on serious games has increased in the last decades; however, there is lack of studies on serious games scientific production. This study aims to determine research current and future trends regarding serious games. Specific objectives are: (1) To analyze the performance of literature, (2) To analyze collaboration networks, and (3) To analyze science mapping of serious games. It is a bibliometric study exploring the database Scopus. The authors used the specialized software VosViewer, Bibliometix, and ggplot2 in RStudio to process and visualize the data. Results show that scientific production is mainly addressed to using serious games in formal education. The fields with higher production were Environmental Sciences, Business, Management, Mathematics and Arts and Humanities. There is growing interest for research on serious games use and effectiveness; however, in some contexts, like Latin American countries, this production is scarce and must be enhanced. Areas for further research were identified; for example, the use of serious games to improve the employees’ skills and decision-making. This paper contributes to better knowledge on the topic and sheds light on potential new topics for researchers.