Board and video games in education: Challenges and opportunities

Game-Based Learning (GBL) continues to gain traction across educational levels, offering engaging, experiential approaches that foster both disciplinary learning and transversal competences. The articles featured in this special issue explore the educational potential of both commercial and serious games, digital and analog, to support learning in diverse domains, from STEM to media literacy. The issue also addresses key challenges in GBL implementation, including the need for learning design skills, teacher training, and inclusive practices that respond to learner diversity. Contributions adopt a variety of methodologies, from experimental studies to critical reviews, and extend the field’s scope by investigating underexplored topics such as biofeedback-based games and gender-related differences in gamification effectiveness. Taken together, the contributions emphasize the sheer variety of GBL approaches, while carefully considering how GBL should be employed to be effective.