Call for Papers - Vol. 5, No. 4

2026-07-31

Games, Gamification, Media Literacy and Transformation in Educational Contexts

Guest Editors: Ana Filipa Oliveira (Universidade Lusófona, CICANT, Portugal); Marisa Mourão (Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, CICANT, Portugal); João Léste (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, LINC-Design, Brazil); Bieke Zaman (KU Leuven, Belgium)

We currently live in a deeply polarised media ecosystem, in which the speed and volume of information pose new challenges to citizens' critical capacities (Tucker et al., 2018). In a world dominated by algorithms, marked by polarisation and various forms of information disorder (Wardle & Derakhshan, 2017), narratives and values are being shaped in unprecedented ways, making the promotion of media literacy skills one of the foremost priorities in education and training (Mihailidis & Viotty, 2017). In this context, games and gamified practices emerge as an alternative pedagogical approach (Dicheva et al., 2015) that offers ample opportunities to develop media literacy in an engaging and meaningful way (Sousa et al., 2024), including for people with disabilities (Léste et al., 2025) and other marginalised and underrepresented groups (Prazak et al., 2026). Yet, evidence remains fragmented. Game elements can support critical engagement in some contexts while undermining it in others, and the psychological, situational, and design factors behind this ambivalence are poorly understood (van Roy & Zaman, 2018, 2019). 

This special issue of The International Journal of Games and Social Impact seeks to explore the role of games, gamification, and playable media in fostering media literacy, critical citizenship, and social transformation across formal, non-formal, and informal contexts. It invites theoretical, empirical, and design-oriented contributions examining how, why, and for whom such interventions succeed or fail in cultivating an informed and responsible citizenry — including work on inclusive design for diverse learners.

Submissions may address (but are not limited to) the following questions:

  1. How can games, gamification, and playable media contribute to the development of media and news literacy?
  2. How can pedagogical innovation in media literacy be promoted through game-based and gamified approaches?
  3. How can strategies for promoting media literacy be effectively implemented using games, gamification, and playable media? 
  4. In what ways can game-based learning, gamified, and playable media approaches foster critical thinking, civic engagement, and the development of tools to counter disinformation and polarisation?
  5. How can game-based, gamified, and playable media approaches support digital literacy and the development of 21st-century skills?
  6. How do co-creation practices involving students, educators, and communities enhance the effectiveness of game-based approaches?
  7. How can game-based, gamified, and playable media approaches be integrated into teacher training for the promotion of media literacy?
  8. What are the synergies between gamified media literacy approaches and the promotion of accessibility and inclusion?
  9. How can gamified approaches relate to specific demographics that are particularly vulnerable to information disorders (e.g.: children, the elderly, people without formal education, people with cognitive disabilities, and other marginalised and underrepresented groups)?

Authors are encouraged to address one or more of the following topics (but are not limited to):

  • Gamification,game-based learning, and playable media approaches in educational contexts 
  • Media and news literacy for critical citizenship 
  • Education to counter information disorders and polarisation 
  • Digital literacy and 21st-century skills 
  • Pedagogical innovation in formal and non-formal educational contexts 
  • Inclusion and equity in access to digital education 
  • Co-creation with students and educators 
  • Teacher training in media literacy 
  • Technology and infrastructure in peripheral contexts 
  • Transnational comparisons of European educational practices 
  • Impact assessment of gamified tools

 

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should adhere to the journal’s formatting and referencing guidelines. Both full research articles (6,000-8,000 words) and short papers (2,000 - 4,000 words) are welcome. All submissions will undergo a double anonymous peer review process to ensure scholarly rigour and originality.

 

Contact

For inquiries about the thematic scope of the special issue, please contact Ana Filipa Oliveira (ana.filipa.oliveira@ulusofona.pt). For logistic aspects of the submission, please contact ijgsi@ulusofona.pt. 

 

Timeline (subject to change)

Abstract Submission Deadline: 20 November 2026

Notification of Acceptance for Abstract Submissions: 21 December 2026

Full Paper Submission Deadline: 28 February 2027

Notification of Acceptance: 28 July 2027

Publication Date: December 2027

*The first round of peer review is expected to be completed by then. Therefore, articles that are subject to only one round of peer review may be accepted until the end of May.

References
Dicheva, D., Dichev, C., Agre, G., & Angelova, G. (2015). Gamification in education: A systematic mapping study. Educational Technology & Society, 18(3), 75–88.
Léste, J. V., Sousa , C., & Farbiarz, J. L. (2025). Jogos analógicos fomentando experiências educacionais: Práticas e potenciais para pessoas com deficiência visual. Quaestio - Revista de Estudos em Educação, 27, Article e025045. https://doi.org/10.22483/2177-5796.2025v27id5739
Mihailidis, P., & Viotty, S. (2017). Spreadable spectacle in digital culture: Civic expression, fake news, and the role of media literacies in "post-fact" society. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(4), 441–454. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764217701217
Prazak, I., Padovani, L., Lim, Y., Hsu, J. (Hsin-P.), & Lee, M. (2026). Disability misinformation on Facebook: A comparison of LLM-based fact-checking tools. Information Research an International Electronic Journal, 31(iConf), 1042–1053. https://doi.org/10.47989/ir31iConf64259
Sousa, C., Oliveira, A. F., Casimiro, C., Léste, J., & Yaman, H. (2024). Explorando o impacto da aprendizagem baseada em jogos na literacia de notícias e na cidadania digital das pessoas jovens. Media & Jornalismo, 24(45), Article e4510. https://doi.org/10.14195/2183-5462_45_10
Tucker, J. A., Guess, A., Barberá, P., Vaccari, C., Siegel, A., Sanovich, S., Stukal, D., & Nyhan, B. (2018). Social media, political polarization, and political disinformation: A review of the scientific literature. Hewlett Foundation.
van Roy, R., & Zaman, B. (2018). Need-supporting gamification in education: An assessment of motivational effects over time. Computers & Education, 127, 283-297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.08.018
van Roy, R., & Zaman, B. (2019). Unravelling the ambivalent motivational power of gamification: A basic psychological needs perspective. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 127(0), Article j.ijhcs.2018.04.009, 38-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2018.04.009
Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Council of Europe.