Fostering Leadership Skills through Game-Based Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

As the demand for adaptive leaders grows, game-based learning has emerged as an innovative pedagogical approach to cultivate leadership competencies. The purpose of this study is to analyze the status of game-based learning for leadership development in higher education through a systematic review of the literature. According to the screening criteria, 31 articles are included for final synthesis between 2015 and 2024. The results show that decision-making, communication, and problem-solving are the most frequently developed competencies through game-based learning, while adaptability, conflict management, and ethical judgment remain underexplored. Collaborative learning and debriefing practices are the main pedagogical strategies, fostering leadership skills through interactive and reflective experiences. However, there are still challenges such as technological limitations and instructor preparedness. Based on our findings, we provide further directions on how to design and implement game-based learning. This review contributes to leadership education research by identifying findings from empirical studies to optimize game mechanics and pedagogical objectives.