Serious games, stakeholder theory, and enterprise architecture: An integrative literature review (Preprint)
Authors: Bunt Lance , Greeff Japie , Taylor Estelle 
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND

Existing serious game frameworks do not focus on the professionals who have a stake in their production. Stakeholders have interests, rights, and ownership in decisions and undertakings, but established frameworks tend not to manage or direct these relationships. Instead, they concentrate on various aspects of SRG design, such as pedagogical foundations, player experience, objectives, processes, and implications. This paper addresses the gap in literature and provides the basis for a stakeholder-centred framework for serious game design.

OBJECTIVE

This paper—as part of a series of interrelated works to develop a stakeholder-centred framework for the design of serious games—investigates and synthesises the domains of serious games, stakeholder theory and enterprise architecture in the form of an integrative literature review. This paper examines literature to be used in the project and highlights the benefits of using stakeholder theory and EA principles in serious game development.

METHODS

Synthesis of the three theoretical pillars of stakeholder theory, serious games, and enterprise architecture by way of a (a) typology put forward by Onwuegbuzie and Frels (2016), (b) theory maps stated by Repko and Szostak (2012), and (c) guidelines from Torraco (2016) contribute to a conceptual rendering of a framework which considers and supports the stakeholders engaged in serious game development. Identifying the research question, conducting a comprehensive literature search, screening, and selecting studies based on inclusion criteria, extracting data from the selected studies, synthesising the findings, evaluating the quality of the evidence, drawing conclusions, and identifying areas for future research are the steps involved in an integrative literature review.

RESULTS

The integrative literature review performed informs the conceptual rendering of a stakeholder-centred framework which is diagnostic, empowering, flexible, informative, invested in goals, repeatable, stakeholder-centred, supportive, sustainable, functional, and a vehicle for good design. As serious game developers face challenges, including the cost of production, assessing effectiveness, compatibility with different hardware and software configurations, and keeping players interested; a stakeholder-centred framework should prioritise the needs and interests of different stakeholders, such as players, game designers, investors, regulators, and others.

CONCLUSIONS

Stakeholder theory and enterprise architecture methods are valuable in serious game development for creating and overseeing the technological infrastructure, organisational composition, value chains, and outputs. TOGAF enterprise architecture provides structured methods for developing and implementing the game's technological infrastructure, while stakeholder theory ensures all stakeholders' needs are met. Game design should prioritise stakeholder needs, and enterprise architecture can align game design with organisational goals, improve player experiences, and ensure scalability and security.