TY - JOUR

T1 - A leverage point perspective on serious games for sustainability transformation

T2 - a systematic literature review

AU - Foppe, Sabrina

AU - von Wehrden, Henrik

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Japan KK 2024.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Sustainability transformations are characterized by complex system dynamics, including abstraction, non-linearity and uncertainty, which are often challenging to comprehend due to psychological barriers and misconceptions. Serious games offer a promising tool to both explore and communicate such dynamics, as they simplify complex mechanisms and enable more tangible understanding through simulations of real-world problems. This study examines how existing serious games related to sustainability transformations translate politico-economic structures and ecological patterns into game design. Furthermore, we explore how leverage points can be integrated into serious games, drawing on Donella Meadows' systems thinking approach. The review follows the PRISMA framework and encompasses 170 selected papers from Scopus and EBSCO databases. Findings of qualitative analysis reveal how existing serious games related to sustainability transformations mirror ecological, economic and political structures and show possible ways to address leverage points via game design. Subsequently, we discuss how serious games can be used as educational and research tool to both explore and teach the root causes of unsustainability as well as possible interventions. Further research is needed to evaluate how serious games can contribute to enhance understanding of system dynamics and analyze human–system interactions. We outline approaches for future research efforts and discuss questions of validity when using serious games for research purposes.

AB - Sustainability transformations are characterized by complex system dynamics, including abstraction, non-linearity and uncertainty, which are often challenging to comprehend due to psychological barriers and misconceptions. Serious games offer a promising tool to both explore and communicate such dynamics, as they simplify complex mechanisms and enable more tangible understanding through simulations of real-world problems. This study examines how existing serious games related to sustainability transformations translate politico-economic structures and ecological patterns into game design. Furthermore, we explore how leverage points can be integrated into serious games, drawing on Donella Meadows' systems thinking approach. The review follows the PRISMA framework and encompasses 170 selected papers from Scopus and EBSCO databases. Findings of qualitative analysis reveal how existing serious games related to sustainability transformations mirror ecological, economic and political structures and show possible ways to address leverage points via game design. Subsequently, we discuss how serious games can be used as educational and research tool to both explore and teach the root causes of unsustainability as well as possible interventions. Further research is needed to evaluate how serious games can contribute to enhance understanding of system dynamics and analyze human–system interactions. We outline approaches for future research efforts and discuss questions of validity when using serious games for research purposes.

KW - Leverage points

KW - Serious games

KW - Sustainability

KW - Systematic literature review

KW - Systems thinking

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Sustainability Governance

KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85208977492&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s11625-024-01580-9

DO - 10.1007/s11625-024-01580-9

M3 - Scientific review articles

AN - SCOPUS:85208977492

JO - Sustainability Science

JF - Sustainability Science

SN - 1862-4065

ER -