Video games in cognitive event-related EEG research: A scoping review

Event-related EEG research has traditionally relied on controlled laboratory tasks with limited ecological validity. Video games offer a middle ground between laboratory and real-world settings, combining intuitive interaction with experimental control. This scoping review, reported according to PRISMA-ScR, characterizes video game paradigms used in event-related EEG research and relates their findings to canonical laboratory effects. Database and supplementary searches identified 29 studies using 26 paradigms. Most paradigms used custom-built games and required visuomotor navigation or targeting within continuous gameplay, and most analyses were time-locked to feedback events such as hits or collisions. Findings showed selective convergence with laboratory effects, particularly for P3-like positivities sensitive to event probability, outcome magnitude, and player relevance, and for movement-related activity. Evidence for error- and feedback-related components was more limited, while early sensory responses were rarely examined. We discuss emerging patterns in the use of video games as event-related EEG paradigms, the correspondence between game-elicited and laboratory EEG effects, and the methodological challenges of studying event-related activity during gameplay. In sum, this synthesis aims to guide the selection and design of game paradigms, inform expectations about neural responses during gameplay, and support their interpretation in light of established laboratory findings in future research in this emerging field.