Video Game Genre Affordances for Physics Education

In this work, the authors analyze the video game genres’ features and investigate potential mappings to specific didactic approaches in the context of Physics education. To guide the analysis, the authors briefly review the main didactic approaches for Physics and identify qualities that can be projected into game features. Based on the characteristics of the didactic approaches each video game genre’s potential for narration and simulation and affordances for reflection and assessment are evaluated, providing examples of specific games that adhere to those requirements and ways they can be utilized in educational contexts. The paper concludes by discussing the implications on serious game design and integration of games for Physics education in school environments and suggests topics for future research.