Immersive Virtual Reality Serious Game Studies in Education: A Brief Review

Abstract

Currently, immersive virtual reality environments(IVR) are providing interactive learning experiences in various fields including “education”. Especially after covid-19 pandemic, the popularity of the online learning environment has increased, and the IVR would be a possible alternative to other mediums in online learning. The previous reviews usually contain related literature before the pandemic. There is a need to better understand the current body of knowledge on IVR. The specific application contexts, research designs, and possible results of the current works needed to be clarified. To answer this question a literature review was conducted between 2013-2023 years on the “Web of Science” database for “IVR” and “serious games” keywords in the field of “education”. Then, 18 articles are reviewed and the main themes are provided. As a result, the majority of the articles were found as “applied studies” and the main research intent was to determine “cognitive effects” including knowledge improvement. Depending on literature analyses qualitative and quantitative study results can be listed as; “IVR in the form of serious game” in general was found and perceived as an effective medium for learning in various fields of education. In addition, some study results about instructional design decisions of IVR applications and the effectiveness of IVR comparing other types of mediums are provided. The study recommends taking into account educational theories behind the design of IVR and related multimedia design principles.