Abstract:

The concept of gamification in educational environments has become a topic of interest day by day. Alternative reality games (ARG) are also important type of gamification activities. ARGs are games defined as immersive games that use multi-media tools, include puzzle solving and interactive narratives. In this research, it is aimed to bring together the studies on ARG and examine them in detail. For this purpose, both systematic review and meta-analysis methods were used. While 73 studies on ARGs were examined by systematic review method, 11 studies were subjected to meta-analysis to determine the effect of ARGs in teaching environments. According to the analysis results, the most work was done in 2021. The studies were mainly carried out in the USA. In general, the studies are in the article type. The sample of the study consists of higher education students, and a qualitative research method, namely the case study design, has been employed. According to the meta-analysis results, it can be said that learning activities that include ARGs have a higher effect than learning activities that do not include ARGs. In Turkey, emphasis can be given to studies on ARG. Due to the scarcity of thesis written on this subject, the number of ARG-focused theses can be increased. Implementation can also be emphasized in other education levels other than higher education. In terms of method, studies using mixed or quantitative methods can be increased. Due to the positive impact of ARGs on teaching environments, experimental studies on ARGs can be planned based on various variables.

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