Abstract
This study explores how integrating Design-Based Learning (DBL), systems thinking, and design thinking within a serious game design curriculum fosters socially responsible design literacy in undergraduate students. Implemented over four academic years at a media design program, the two-semester course sequence guided over 280 students to design both analog and 2D digital games addressing real-world challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The curriculum combined iterative project work with empathy-driven field research, stakeholder analysis, systems mapping, prototyping, and structured peer feedback. Students engaged in translating complex social issues into playable narratives and interaction systems. Data sources included student artifacts, system maps, design documentation, peer reviews, and reflective writing. Qualitative analysis reveals that game design served not only as a creative medium but also as a scaffold for cultivating systemic reasoning, social awareness, and critical agency. Students developed the capacity to reframe problems through stakeholder perspectives, iteratively refine their design solutions, and express ethical considerations through gameplay mechanics. This research contributes to design education by demonstrating how game-based pedagogies can bridge technical skills and civic imagination, enabling students to engage with design as both a process and a form of social inquiry. This integrated framework also offers a transferable model for educators seeking to align design-based learning with sustainability, systems reasoning, and social responsibility in higher education. It offers actionable guidance for educators seeking to cultivate next-generation designers equipped to navigate complexity, collaborate across disciplines, and create impact beyond the classroom.
Keywords
Design education; Serious game design; Design-based learning (DBL); Sustainable development goals (SDGs)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.731
Citation
Chen, Y., Weng, C.,and Cheng, T.(2025) Cultivating Critical Design Agency through Serious Game Design: Integrating Systems Thinking and Design Thinking, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.731
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 12 - Design Education
Cultivating Critical Design Agency through Serious Game Design: Integrating Systems Thinking and Design Thinking
This study explores how integrating Design-Based Learning (DBL), systems thinking, and design thinking within a serious game design curriculum fosters socially responsible design literacy in undergraduate students. Implemented over four academic years at a media design program, the two-semester course sequence guided over 280 students to design both analog and 2D digital games addressing real-world challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The curriculum combined iterative project work with empathy-driven field research, stakeholder analysis, systems mapping, prototyping, and structured peer feedback. Students engaged in translating complex social issues into playable narratives and interaction systems. Data sources included student artifacts, system maps, design documentation, peer reviews, and reflective writing. Qualitative analysis reveals that game design served not only as a creative medium but also as a scaffold for cultivating systemic reasoning, social awareness, and critical agency. Students developed the capacity to reframe problems through stakeholder perspectives, iteratively refine their design solutions, and express ethical considerations through gameplay mechanics. This research contributes to design education by demonstrating how game-based pedagogies can bridge technical skills and civic imagination, enabling students to engage with design as both a process and a form of social inquiry. This integrated framework also offers a transferable model for educators seeking to align design-based learning with sustainability, systems reasoning, and social responsibility in higher education. It offers actionable guidance for educators seeking to cultivate next-generation designers equipped to navigate complexity, collaborate across disciplines, and create impact beyond the classroom.