Theoretical Foundations and Evaluations of Serious Games for Learning Data Structures and Recursion: A Review

Data structures and recursive algorithms are challenging concepts to learn because they are abstract and difficult to relate to familiar knowledge. Many researchers suggest that digital serious games may be a good tool to facilitate the learning process of these topics. This article presents a review of currently available digital serious games for learning that focus on teaching data structures and recursive algorithms. The review identifies and classifies the specific data structures and recursive algorithms covered by those games, analyzes the learning theoretical foundations for the games, and assesses the studies performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the games.