Teaching Game Development at Universities: A Systematic Literature Review of Educational Practices for Multidisciplinary Industrial Demands

Teaching game development may come at odds with long-standing university structures due to industrial and cross- and multidisciplinary art-design-engineering aspects. This systematic literature review outlines standard practices for teaching game development in higher education. It shows two decades of increasing demand for established methods, with research that does not primarily focus on student motivation and engagement remaining sparse; out of 1076 records screened, 108 publications were included. Findings strongly indicate that project-based learning (PBL) structures with student groups creating game prototypes are effective. Many publications provide rich analysis of shorter courses or interventions. However, well-documented shortcomings in individual assessment and support in PBL structures are rarely addressed. Recommendations for higher education practice include curriculum restructuring with longer educational timeframes, clear progression paths, and robust measurement frameworks to address common challenges to student collaborative dynamics and enable missing fundamental skill development in computational thinking and theory-driven artistic approaches.