Gamification and digital game-based learning for the development of social-emotional skills in children aged 6-10
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69821/DISCE.v3i1.81Abstract
Introduction: This article explores the impact of gamification and digital game-based learning on the development of social-emotional skills in children aged 6 to 10.
Methods: A systematic review of the literature and an intervention study were conducted with 120 children from schools in Mexico, using digital games specifically designed to foster empathy, emotional self-regulation, and collaboration.
Results: The results show significant improvements in emotion recognition and conflict resolution.
Discussion: The findings demonstrate the potential of digital games as effective educational tools for socio-emotional development in childhood. Practical implications, limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research in the area are discussed.
Conclusions: Digital games designed with a focus on gamification represent a promising and effective tool for strengthening key social-emotional skills during childhood (ages 6-10).
Downloads
References
Alotaibi, M. S. (2024). Game-based learning in early childhood education: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1307881. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1307881
Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018. Pew Research Center. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000242
Bányai, F., Griffiths, M. D., Demetrovics, Z., & Király, O. (2019). The mediating effect of motivations between psychiatric distress and gaming disorder among esport gamers and recreational gamers. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 94, Article 152117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2019.152117
CASEL. (2020). What is SEL? Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000251
Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., & Zinsser, K. (2012). Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(3), 137-143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0504-2
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining “gamification”. In Proceedings of the 15th international academic MindTrek conference: Envisioning future media environments (pp. 9-15). https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
Eisenberg, N., Spinrad, T. L., & Eggum, N. D. (2010). Emotion-related self-regulation and its relation to children's maladjustment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 6, 495–525. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.121208.131208
Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Computers in Entertainment, 1(1), 20-20. https://doi.org/10.1145/950566.950595
Gentile, D. A., Anderson, C. A., Yukawa, S., Ihori, N., Saleem, M., Ming, L. K., Shibuya, A., Liau, A. K., Khoo, A., Bushman, B. J., Rowell Huesmann, L., & Sakamoto, A. (2009). The effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behaviors: International evidence from correlational, longitudinal, and experimental studies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(6), 752–763. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209333045
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. C. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, 69(1), 66-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034857
Greitemeyer, T., & Osswald, S. (2010). Effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(2), 211–221. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016997
Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014). Does gamification work? – a literature review of empirical studies. In 2014 47th Hawaii international conference on system sciences (pp. 3025-3034). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2014.377
Howard, M. C., & Gutworth, M. B. (2020). A meta-analysis of virtual reality training programs for social skills development. Computers & Education, 144, 103707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103707
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151(4), 264-269. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00135
Ninaus, M., Greipl, S., Kiili, K., Lindstedt, A., Huber, S., Klein, E., Karnath, H.-O., & Moeller, K. (2021). Increased emotional engagement in game-based learning – A machine learning approach on facial emotion detection data. Computers & Education, 159, Article 104001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104001
Papadakis, S. (2020). Evaluating pre-service teachers’ acceptance of mobile devices with regard to their age and gender: A case study in Greece. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 14(2), 255-272. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMLO.2020.106282
Papadakis, S., Kalogiannakis, M., & Zaranis, N. (2021). The effectiveness of computer and tablet assisted intervention in early childhood students’ understanding of numbers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49(2), 171-183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-020-01061-2
Plass, J. L., Homer, B. D., & Kinzer, C. K. (2015). Foundations of game-based learning. Educational Psychologist, 50(4), 258-283. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2015.1122533
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, Article 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860
Sailer, M., & Homner, L. (2020). The gamification of learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 32(1), 77–112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09498-w
Shute, V. J., & Ke, F. (2012). Games, learning, and assessment. In Assessment in game-based learning (pp. 43-58). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3546-4_4
Squire, K. (2011). Video games and learning: Teaching and participatory culture in the digital age. Teachers College Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27940-9_16
Squire, K. D. (2008). Video game–based learning: An emerging paradigm for instruction. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 21(2), 7–36. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.20020
Steinkuehler, C., & Duncan, S. (2008). Scientific habits of mind in virtual worlds. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 17(6), 530-543. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-008-9120-8
Subrahmanyam, K., & Šmahel, D. (2011). Digital youth: The role of media in development. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6278-2
Taylor, R. D., Oberle, E., Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2017). Promoting positive youth development through school-based social and emotional learning interventions: A meta-analysis of follow-up effects. Child Development, 88(4), 1156–1171. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12864
Wang, F., & Hannafin, M. J. (2005). Design-based research and technology-enhanced learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(4), 5-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02504682
Wouters, P., van Nimwegen, C., van Oostendorp, H., & van der Spek, E. D. (2013). A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 249-265. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031311
Yang, Y. T. C. (2012). Building virtual cities, inspiring intelligent citizens: Digital games for developing students’ problem solving and learning motivation. Computers & Education, 59(2), 365-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.01.012
Zimmerman, E. (2014). Manifesto for a ludic century. In The gameful world (pp. 19-22). MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262028004.003.0001
Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Wang, M. C., & Walberg, H. J. (Eds.). (2004). Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? Teachers College Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410611528
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Katty de las Mercedes Cárate Ronquillo (Autor/a)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Usted es libre de:
- Compartir — copiar y redistribuir el material en cualquier medio o formato para cualquier propósito, incluso comercialmente.
- Adaptar — remezclar, transformar y construir a partir del material para cualquier propósito, incluso comercialmente.
- La licenciante no puede revocar estas libertades en tanto usted siga los términos de la licencia
Usted debe dar crédito de manera adecuada , brindar un enlace a la licencia, e indicar si se han realizado cambios . Puede hacerlo en cualquier forma razonable, pero no de forma tal que sugiera que usted o su uso tienen el apoyo de la licenciante.
