Therefore, ENS occurs as these organisms succeed at different
rates based on the differences in their traits and then
pass those traits onto their offspring, furthering the cycle of
evolution. Though digital games are valuable tools for
education (Lieberman 2012; Ritterfeld et al. 2009), it is
necessary to recognize the limitations of digital games in
meeting the conditions of informal science learning as
assisted by inquiry-based learning and mapping. To this
end, this manuscript examines digital games related to ENS
because the accessibility and engaging nature of digital
games have the potential to elucidate the principles of ENS
for students (Lieberman 2012; Ritterfeld et al. 2009).
However, do games that self-identify as evolution-related
digital games teach players about the processes of ENS?
What properties of the game are well suited to teach ENS?
The present article makes the following unique contributions.
First, we present a framework for determining best
criteria for evaluating how well-suited games are for a
specific educational content. Second, we apply these principles
in the context of ENS by examining the presence of
evolution-related games within a large sample of existing
publicly available digital games. We analyze which of
these games’ evolution-related content and mechanisms
map onto ENS principles and which do not. Third, we
extend our analysis to ENS games designed for education.
Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings and
how to understand games that are optimal for educational
use