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Open research questions in Digital Games and Media

48 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 2,162 Digital Games and Media papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Several limitations should be noted. First, the study relied entirely on self-report measures collected within the same survey context, which raises the possibility of common method bias. Although a Harman’s single-factor check was conducted as a pre- liminary diagnostic, this approach is limited and cannot rule out common method variance conclusively. More robust approaches would provide a stronger assessment and should be considered in future research. Second, the two waves came from the same partici- pant pool rather than independent samples, so Wave 2 should be interpreted as repeated measurement rather than as an independent replication in the strong sense. Third, the play-history inclusion windows differed across waves: Wave 1 required play within the previous 3 months, whereas Wave 2 required play within the previ- ous 4 weeks. This difference may have affected comparability. Fourth, although the present study used the second wave primarily for follow-up prediction and robustness checks, the two-wave design was not fully leveraged to examine temporal stability. Future research with longer intervals and additional waves should more directly assess rank-order stability, within-person change, and cross-lagged associations among gaming motivation, power motives, and in-game behavior. Fifth, the strong overlap between dominance and leadership complicates interpretation of their simultaneous regression coefficients. An additional limitation con- cerns the possibility of social desirability bias. Because the study relied on self-report measures of socially sensitive constructs, including in-game aggression, dominance-related motives, and masculinity/femininity traits, some participants may have responded in ways that presented themselves more favorably. This concern may be particularly relevant in the present cultural context, where reputational considerations and self-presentational norms may heighten sensitivity to such items. Accordingly, the observed associations may partly reflect self-presentation tendencies rather than only the underlying constructs of interest. Future research would benefit from incorporating behavioral indicators, peer reports, or other measures less vulnerable to social desirability effects. overlapping power motives require cautious interpretation when mod- eled together.

    Social power motives, gendered traits, and aggression in eSports: evidence from two survey waves · 2026 · DOI

  • While the paper distinguishes between scripted dialogue and autonomous AI, it lacks empirical validation of player perception—i.e., whether players actually recognize the illusion of agency or mistake it for genuine machine cognition.

    Human–Machine Communication in Fantasy Realms: Artificial Intelligence, Narrative Reciprocity, And Ludic Interaction in Baldur’s Gate 3 · 2026 · DOI

  • It argues that LLM integration represents not automation but a reconfiguration of co-creative authorship between writers, machines, and players, and calls for further research into ethical design, player reception, and the evolving responsibilities of narrative professionals in LLM-augmented game development.

    Emerging Practices in LLM-integrated Game Writing · 2025 · DOI

  • For the purposes of the analysis, two crucial categories concerning games of all types have been introduced to enable further study of selected texts: the distinction between digital and non-digital games – the former ones refer to electronic games of all types (requiring electricity and based on electronics), and the latter, to any other kinds of games (in some cases also requiring electricity but not electronics).

    Ludologia – naukowe badania gier. Przeszłość, teraźniejszość, przyszłość · 2023 · DOI

  • Now, almost two decades after the introduction of PEGI, little is known about how the self-regulation of video games has been received by the end-user, and how the evolving landscape of digital media platforms has affected this reception.

    “That’s PEGI, the American system!”: Perceptions of video game age ratings among families in Norway · 2023 · DOI

  • The MMORPG genre can occupy extensive amounts of time in perpetuity, which then leads to interference in other life areas when a strategy for life balance is lacking.

    Personality Type and Motivation to Play MMO Games · 2021 · DOI

  • Despite seemingly conflicting results for the statistical significance of the pooled estimates in different meta-analyses of video-game studies, all of the meta-analyses do in fact point to the conclusion that, in the vast majority of settings, violent video games do increase aggressive behavior but that these effects are almost always quite small.

    Finding Common Ground in Meta-Analysis “Wars” on Violent Video Games · 2019 · DOI

  • However, the article contradicts this by proposing to treat this situation as an opportunity instead of an excuse – the fact that video games can reflect the injustices of today’s world without providing criticism should act as a catalyst for further studies of political argumentation within the medium of video games, which in turn would contribute to further theorizations on the critical potential of video games in connection to politics.

    Kompiuteriniai žaidimai ir istorinės atminties politika: karo atmintis JAV ir Rusijos žaidimuose · 2018 · DOI

  • Miller & Hegelheimer, 2006; Hitosugi, Schmidt, & Hayashi, 2014; Sundqvist & Sylvén, 2012); however, the fine-grained dynamics that comprise it are still largely underexplored.

    A Method and Model for De- and Reconstructing Player-Game Interaction · 2016 · DOI

  • This article reports on a mixed-methods study of the cultural valuing of ‘interactive fiction’ or ‘text adventure games’: a formerly commercial videogame genre sometimes associated with electronic literature but here argued to be best understood in context of the under-researched phenomenon of ‘retrogaming’ or ‘old school gaming’.

    Linguistic Capital and Development Capital in a Network of Cultural Producers: Mutually Valuing Peer Groups in the ‘Interactive Fiction’ Retrogaming Scene · 2015 · DOI

  • However, in this article the author argues that the psychological community would be better served by reflecting on this research and considering whether the scientific process failed by permitting and even encouraging statements about video game violence that exceeded the data or ignored conflicting data.

    Violent video games and the Supreme Court: Lessons for the scientific community in the wake of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association. · 2013 · DOI

  • , 2024), future research should explore their applicability to adult populations and diverse mental health needs.

    Mapping the Landscape: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Emotion Regulation and Serious Games · 2026 · DOI

  • Similarly, collaboration among leading research groups is scarce, maximum four or five records per author with only a small number of authors.

    Mapping the Landscape: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Emotion Regulation and Serious Games · 2026 · DOI

  • Dimensions such as multiperspectivity, source analysis, and historiographical debate are rarely addressed, reinforcing a superficial use of digital media.

    Medieval-Themed Video Games For History Teaching: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

  • Therefore, future research is recommended to involve more participants with more diverse backgrounds, and expand the scope of study to other games to determine whether the same representation pat- terns also emerge in different contexts.

    Between Empowerment and Objectification: Female Character Sensuality in Garena Free Fire · 2026 · DOI

  • This paper proposes a promising technique that is understudied – playful third spaces in universities where multidisciplinary education and research may be conducted.

    How to Design a Game Laboratory to Study Games: Theory and Case Study of a Playful Third Space · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite the possibilities raised by Kay’s journey across the galaxy, her participation in the crimi- nal underworld is limited by the narrative constraints of her position as the main protagonist in Star Wars: Outlaws.

    ‘Out here, you live and die by your reputation’: Organised crime and dark capital in <i>Star Wars: Outlaws</i> · 2026 · DOI

  • However, studies on FC24 players’ motivations for avatar customization in the context of the Proteus Effect are scarce in the literature.

    You Too “Proteus !’’ The Proteus Effect On Character Creatıon Choıces In Fc24 · 2026 · DOI

  • Although trading practices in contemporary games are deeply intertwined with gameplay, how gamers reconcile their hybrid identities as both game participants and trading actors remains underexplored.

    Digital playmerchant: Exploring how gamers navigate hybrid identity in transaction communities · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper does not explore how player agency and narrative reciprocity might differ based on player expertise, gaming literacy, or prior familiarity with branching narrative systems.

    Human–Machine Communication in Fantasy Realms: Artificial Intelligence, Narrative Reciprocity, And Ludic Interaction in Baldur’s Gate 3 · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper lacks systematic methodology for analyzing multimodal semiotic layers (voice, gesture, facial animation) across the entire game; analysis is limited to select examples.

    Human–Machine Communication in Fantasy Realms: Artificial Intelligence, Narrative Reciprocity, And Ludic Interaction in Baldur’s Gate 3 · 2026 · DOI

  • Within the Romanian borders the extent of the academic research of the author's work remains limited to a small circle of specialists, in comparison to the case of Thomas Mann.

    ERNEST GAMES. THE POLITICAL DIMENSION IN HERMANN HESSE’S NOVEL THE GLASS BEAD GAME · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite the increasing popularity of female-oriented romantic video games (RVGs, also known as otome games) in Asia, research on this topic is scarce.

    “We Found Love”: Romantic Video Game Involvement and Desire for Real-Life Romantic Relationships Among Female Gamers · 2023 · DOI

  • But the depth and breadth of research are still insufficient and unevenly distributed in the region, and the cross-fertilization fields need to be expanded.

    An analysis of the current status of metaverse research based on bibliometrics · 2022 · DOI

  • Although various authors have argued women’s bodies in video games are unrealistically thin and large breasted, few studies have asked women who make frequent use of video games to discuss their experiences of viewing these kinds of images.

    ‘Kind of like a Barbie doll, but for grown men!’: Women gamers’ accounts of female bodies in digital games · 2018 · DOI

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48 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 2,162 Digital Games and Media papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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