Computer Games for Design Creativity Research: Opportunities and Challenges

This paper discusses opportunities and challenges related to the use of computer games for design creativity research. Two bodies of work were analysed: (1) scientific papers published in design and creativity journals and (2) commercial computer games available on the Steam game platform. The qualitative analysis of the papers reviewed (n = 21) revealed the main games used and game features exploited, as well as the research challenges (e.g., managing game abstraction and real-world fidelity) and opportunities (e.g., novel data collection methods). Data analysis from the selected games (n = 68) enabled the identification of the most relevant game genres, features and technological aspects, which supported the discussion of novel avenues for research. The paper contributes to raising awareness of possible uses of games for design creativity research and provides recommendations for game use in future research endeavours.