Towards a conceptual framework for assessing the effectiveness of digital game-based learning

Results indicate that three categories of desired outcomes can be distinguished: learning, motivational and efficiency outcomes. For the different outcomes, different subcomponents can be extracted which can be organized hierarchically. Learning outcomes that are seen as relevant to the effectiveness of DGBL are 1) increased interest in the subject matter, 2) improvement in objective performance (e.g., in a test), and 3) transfer, referring to the player's ability to apply acquired knowledge or skills to real-world situations. Relevant motivational outcomes concern 1) enjoyment, the extent to which playing the game evoked an enjoyable experience, and 2) increased motivation to learn using DGBL. Efficiency outcomes relevant to DGBL effectiveness, finally, are related to 1) time management and 2) cost-effectiveness. Overall, it can be stated that a DGBL intervention is effective when it achieves similar or higher scores compared to other instructional methods in relation to any of the above mentioned outcomes without significantly (in the common, not the statistical sense) diminishing any of the others.