A narrative review of methods used to examine digital gaming impacts on learning and cognition during middle childhood

Middle childhood remains a privileged albeit understudied developmental period in studies examining child–computer interactions, particularly as it pertains to digital game play. Middle childhood also is marked by increasing digital game play, arguably the most common form of child–computer interactions during this developmental period. For example, children between the ages of 6 and 8 play digital games 60–90 min per day and 47% of 3rd to 8th grade teachers reported using digital games in their classrooms several times a week (Vega & Robb, 2019). Surprisingly, how content learning and cognition may be facilitated through digital gaming remains sparsely investigated among children during this period. In the studies that do examine the linkages between game play and content learning or cognition, research methodologies vary markedly. The goal of this narrative review is to help bring greater cohesion to the research literature, which often spans many disciplines. This review emphasizes the games, measurement of outcomes, and research designs that have been used to examine content learning and cognitive skills among children ages 6 to 12 in the context of digital games.