From Play to Pedagogy: A Structured Topic Modeling Analysis of Escape Rooms Research

Citation: S. López-Pernas, A. Santamaría-Urbieta, A. Gordillo, E. Barra, D. López-Fernández and M. Saqr, "From Play to Pedagogy: A Structured Topic Modeling Analysis of Escape Rooms Research," in IEEE Transactions on Games, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 233-245, June 2026, doi: 10.1109/TG.2026.3654896

Escape rooms have evolved from recreational activities to engaging educational tools, combining storytelling, puzzle-solving, and teamwork. Despite their popularity, research on escape rooms remains highly decentralized with no clear focus or pathway. To shed some light on this growing field, this study analyzes 1051 published articles on escape rooms using natural language processing, specifically keyword analysis and structured topic modeling. Our study addresses four key research questions related to commonly used phrases, research topics, the evolution of these topics, and their interconnections. We identified 24 distinct topics categorized into design and development, field of application, participants, and technology. The analysis reveals an almost exclusive focus on educational applications (>90%), particularly in healthcare and STEM education, highlighting soft skills and practical knowledge development. Based on our findings, we provide a research agenda where we highlight future research opportunities, which include expanding research methods, incorporating generative artificial intelligence, and easing the barriers to adoption for teachers.

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