Gaming a crisis: insights from a bibliometric literature review

Nieuwborg, A.; Wolbers, J. (2026)

Article in monograph or in proceedings

As crises become more prominent, serious gaming is emerging as an innovative tool to practice crisis management, yet a comprehensive overview of its applications remains lacking. Subsequently, this article poses the following research questions: What are the current applications of serious gaming in the field of crisis management? What are the emerging trends regarding the use of serious gaming in crisis management? Through a bibliometric review in combination with bibliographic coupling, we identified four themes: (1) healthcare, (2) disaster risk reduction and climate change, (3) adolescents and students, and (4) wargaming. Furthermore, our analysis reveals three critical trends: (1) diverse applications but inconsistent methodological rigor, (2) a divide between studying games as research objects (e.g., evaluating effectiveness) and using them as research tools (e.g., testing behaviors), and (3) a fragmented literature, hindering unified theoretical or practical frameworks. 

• All authors: Nieuwborg, A.; Wolbers, J.
• Editor(s): Rizza, C.; Chauhan, A.; Matser, A.; Kox, J.; Treurniet, W.
• Date: 2026-05-22
• Title of host publication: Proceedings of the International ISCRAM Conference
• Edition: 23
• Volume: 23
• ISBN (print): 9789090426655
• DOI: doi:10.59297/a7tm5820
• Link: https://ojs.iscram.org/index.php/Proceedings/article/view/317
• Conference: ISCRAM 2026
• Date: 2026-05-31 - 2026-06-03
• Location: The Hague, Netherlands