Video Games That Educate: Breaking Gender Stereotypes and Promoting Gender Equality with a Serious Video Game

By incorporating elements such as storytelling, problem-solving, and rewards, serious games can appeal to varied users, making the learning process more experiential, engaging, and enjoyable. Gender stereotyping is a prevalent social problem that occurs to a greater or lesser extent in all countries and cultures around the world. However, it is more present in certain places like Latin American countries. This study presents the evaluation of Kiddo, a serious game to raise awareness about gender stereotypes among school-aged children (10–13 years old). After its validation with teachers, this evaluation study was carried out with 210 students in a public school in Mexico. By conducting a pre-post experiment while collecting game learning analytics data, we explore how Kiddo can raise students’ awareness of gender stereotypes. Results show a statistically significant increase in awareness of all gender stereotypes addressed in the game. In addition, we explore the acceptance of the video game, the feelings that it causes in players, and the validity of its design as an educational tool including requirements such as class duration and participants’ reading ability. Kiddo provides a valuable real-world experience in a safe and controlled environment.