Game-based learning in higher education: where do we stand?

In the last decade, game-based learning has been increasingly used in higher education (HE) across various disciplines, from language studies to engineering and medical fields. Scholars have examined key success factors, facilitators, and challenges of game-based learning integration (GBL) in higher education. While some literature reviews exist, they primarily address issues like cultural differences or technological impact without offering a comprehensive synthesis. This study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review of articles from the ISI Web of Science Current Contents database, spanning from 1998 to 2020. The study's final sample of 288 articles underwent two levels of analysis: a bibliometric analysis to highlight significant publications and authors, followed by a content analysis to identify primary research questions, methodologies, and suggested future directions for advancing game-based learning research. Our findings provide an integrated overview of game-based learning's role in higher education, offering a framework for future studies to build on existing insights and address ongoing challenges in applying game-based learning effectively in various educational settings.