More than Roll, Move and Multiple-Choice Questions: Application of Tabletop Game Mechanics in Anatomy Education
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| Title: | More than Roll, Move and Multiple-Choice Questions: Application of Tabletop Game Mechanics in Anatomy Education |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Michael Cosimini (ORCID |
| Source: | Anatomical Sciences Education. 2026 19(6):833-841. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 9 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Descriptors: | Anatomy, Science Education, Educational Games, Game Based Learning, Design |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ase.70122 |
| ISSN: | 1935-9772 1935-9780 |
| Abstract: | Anatomy is a challenging topic, and educators have used games as a tool to teach the content. The three-dimensional aspects of anatomy provide unique advantages and challenges for presentation in a tabletop game format. Games are built on mechanics, which include the actions players take, such as rolling dice to move a pawn. Integration of the game mechanics with learning goals can lead to better outcomes by allowing players to explore the content through gameplay. We hypothesize that educators making games for anatomy education will have adopted tabletop game mechanisms that facilitate this integration of the educational content with the gameplay. To explore this a body of games for anatomy education was generated from online sources of games and the literature. Online and literature content, including game rules or videos when available, were reviewed, and mechanisms were categorized by the framework in Building Blocks of Tabletop Game design. Thirty-two games with sufficient information for analysis were identified, and the relation of the game mechanics to the educational content is described. The most common mechanics connected to the learning goals were question and answers, communication limits and set collection. Strongly integrated examples included using tabletop mechanics to travel through neuroanatomy, collecting related sets of anatomic components and tracing pathways for the spread of oral infections. We have found designers of games for anatomy education have adopted variable tabletop game mechanics based on the content area being presented, ranging from games as a framework for quiz questions to more robustly integrated educational content. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1507758 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Anatomy is a challenging topic, and educators have used games as a tool to teach the content. The three-dimensional aspects of anatomy provide unique advantages and challenges for presentation in a tabletop game format. Games are built on mechanics, which include the actions players take, such as rolling dice to move a pawn. Integration of the game mechanics with learning goals can lead to better outcomes by allowing players to explore the content through gameplay. We hypothesize that educators making games for anatomy education will have adopted tabletop game mechanisms that facilitate this integration of the educational content with the gameplay. To explore this a body of games for anatomy education was generated from online sources of games and the literature. Online and literature content, including game rules or videos when available, were reviewed, and mechanisms were categorized by the framework in Building Blocks of Tabletop Game design. Thirty-two games with sufficient information for analysis were identified, and the relation of the game mechanics to the educational content is described. The most common mechanics connected to the learning goals were question and answers, communication limits and set collection. Strongly integrated examples included using tabletop mechanics to travel through neuroanatomy, collecting related sets of anatomic components and tracing pathways for the spread of oral infections. We have found designers of games for anatomy education have adopted variable tabletop game mechanics based on the content area being presented, ranging from games as a framework for quiz questions to more robustly integrated educational content. |
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| ISSN: | 1935-9772 1935-9780 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ase.70122 |
