Map Literacy Through Digital Games: A Framework for Geography Education

Abstract Digital maps in commercial video games are among the most common cartographic experiences in young people’s everyday lives, yet their potential for developing map literacy has received little attention in geography education research. Unlike traditional school maps, game-based maps are dynamic, interactive, and embedded in decision-making processes, requiring players to continuously decode, interpret, and adapt spatial information. Research shows that these maps differ fundamentally from conventional cartography through features such as functional abstraction, incomplete or selectively revealed information, genre-specific logics, transitions between 2D and 3D views, and mechanics such as the fog of war. This article integrates perspectives from game studies, cartography, and geography education to propose a model of map literacy for digital games. The model comprises four interconnected levels—decoding, contextual analysis, strategic interpretation, and purposeful modification—supplemented by reflective cycles. The discussion outlines implications for geography instruction, emphasizing digital games as culturally relevant learning environments and highlighting opportunities for future empirical research.