Serious Games for Food Waste Reduction: A Qualitative Review

Serious Games for Food Waste Reduction: A Qualitative Review Ezequiel França dos Santos1,2,3 , Cláudia Sevivas1,2 , Vítor Carvalho3,4,5,* , Nuno Feixa Rodrigues3,6 , Eva Ferreira de Oliveira3,6 1IADE Faculty of Design, Technology and Communication, European University of Lisbon, Portugal 2UNIDCOM/IADE Research Unit in Design and Communication, Lisbon, Portugal 32Ai Applied Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, IPCA Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Portugal 4LASI Associate Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Portugal 5Algoritmi Research Centre, University of Minho, Portugal 6INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal [email protected], [email protected], {vcarvalho, nfr, eoliveira}@ipca.pt Presented at the 13th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health (SeGAH 2025) 6–8 August 2025, Manchester, UK. Short paper, not included in the official proceedings. Abstract—Serious games provide interactive learning experiences that promote behavioral change in sustainability challenges, including food waste reduction. This study presents a qualitative review of nine serious games designed to influence food waste behaviors. Using the Playful Learning Framework, the review synthesizes research on game mechanics, educational approaches, and behavioral outcomes. Findings indicate that serious games improve food storage knowledge, enhance meal planning, and foster waste-conscious behaviors. However, gaps remain in long-term retention, community-driven engagement, and cross-platform effectiveness. Future research should explore multiplayer interaction, policy-driven applications, and longitudinal assessments to evaluate sustained behavioral change. Index Terms—Serious Games, Food Waste, Behavioral Change, Educational Technology. I. INTRODUCTION A. Household Food Waste and Its Challenges Household food waste is a persistent issue with profound environmental, social, and economic consequences. It exacerbates climate change through methane emissions, contributes to biodiversity loss, and intensifies global food insecurity [1]–[4]. Food waste results from multiple factors, including consumer behavior, misinterpretation of food labels, storage practices, and meal planning habits [5]–[7]. Despite regulatory efforts and awareness campaigns, achieving long-term behavioral change remains challenging, requiring interactive and engaging interventions [8]. The European Union (EU) has established the Waste Framework Directive, which mandates monitoring and prevention measures for food waste reduction across the supply chain [9]. Consumer education is central to this framework, particularly regarding use-by and best-before date labeling, as misinterpretation leads to unnecessary disposal of food that is still safe for consumption [9]. * Corresponding author: vcarv[email protected] B. Serious Games as a Behavior Change Tool Serious games have emerged as a promising method for engaging users in sustainability challenges, including food waste reduction [10]–[12].For example, Menon et al. [13] developed a serious game to enhance user engagement in waste categorization. Unlike conventional education strategies, serious games immerse players in decision-making scenarios, reinforcing problem-solving skills and behavioral adaptation [14], [15]. Studies suggest that game-based interventions can enhance knowledge retention, strengthen motivation, and encourage sustainable habits [4], [16]. Recent research highlights the potential of mobile-based serious games in promoting sustainable food practices, particularly among children and households [17] [18]. C. Objectives This review synthesizes findings on serious games designed to influence food waste behaviors. It evaluates game mechanics, educational strategies, and observed behavioral outcomes to identify critical gaps in research and practice. The study addresses the following research questions: •RQ1: Who are the primary users targeted by serious games for food waste reduction? •RQ2: What game elements and strategies are used to encourage sustainable behaviors? •RQ3: What behavioral outcomes have been observed in players? By examining the effectiveness of existing serious games, this review provides insights for designing future interventions that enhance engagement, scalability, and long-term impact on food waste reduction behaviors. II. METHODOLOGY This study employs a qualitative narrative review to synthesize research on serious games for food waste reduction, focusing on game mechanics, learning strategies, and behavioral outcomes [19]. The Playful Learning Framework [20] categorizes game mechanics into cognitive, motivational, affective, and sociocultural dimensions, structuring the evaluation of behavioral impact. A structured search was conducted across ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, and Google Scholar using the query: ("serious games" OR "game-based learning") AND ("food waste") AND ("behavior change") Inclusion criteria: Peer-reviewed studies (20182024) focusing on serious games addressing food waste, employing mixed-methods, experimental, or observational designs. Exclusion criteria: Gamification-only applications, non-interactive tools, and non-peer-reviewed studies. The search retrieved 130 records, with 9 studies selected after AI-assisted screening via ASReview [19], ensuring a focused and rigorous selection of relevant literature. III. RESULTS A. Platforms, Target and Engagement The effectiveness of serious games in food waste reduction depends on platform accessibility and user engagement. As shown in Table I, mobile platforms dominate (5/9 studies), providing accessibility for children and households. PC-based games (3/9) support cognitive learning, while VR (1/9) enhances emotional engagement. TABLE I: Study Platforms, Design Focus, and Target Audience Study Platform Design Focus Audience/Target Verloop 2018 [21] PC Cognitive General public Grüter 2021 [22] PC Sociocultural General public Sinclear 2021 [14] PC Affective General public Seiler 2022 [15] VR Affective General users Vasconcelos et al. 2023 [18] Mobile Cognitive/Motivational Children and families Jespersen 2023 [23] Mobile Cognitive Households Löchtefeld 2023 [24] Mobile Motivational Households Vasconcelos 2023 [25] Mobile Cognitive Children Olim et al. 2024 [17] Mobile Cognitive/Motivational Children B. Behavioral Outcomes Serious games have demonstrated positive impacts on food waste reduction across multiple studies. As summarized in Table II. Interventions ranged from brief lessons to multi-week challenges [10], [21], [23]. TABLE II: Characteristics of Included Studies Author Research Design Key Findings Verloop 2018 [21] Qualitative Effective data collection on food waste behavior through serious game Grüter 2021 [22] Case Study Increased intention to donate and share food Sinclear 2021 [14] Experimental Emotional engagement drives awareness and behavior change Seiler 2022 [15] Experimental (VR) Increased food waste awareness via immersive simulation Vasconcelos et al. 2023 [18] Mixed Methods Family engagement in food waste reduction Jespersen 2023 [23] Longitudinal (Observational) Improved long-term memory retention for sustainable behaviors Löchtefeld 2023 [24] Experimental Fridge sorting game reduced food waste Vasconcelos 2023 [25] Mixed Methods Positive cognitive and life skill development Olim et al. 2024 [17] Experimental Increased children’s knowledge of food storage and engagement C. Game Mechanics and Learning Strategies Serious games employ different mechanics to influence food waste behaviors. Table III summarizes these approaches: cognitive strategies (storage and planning tasks) [17], [18] enhance knowledge retention; motivational elements (goalsetting) [24] reinforce habits; affective techniques (VR, storytelling) [14], [15] strengthen emotional engagement; and sociocultural approaches (community-driven actions) [18], [22] promote shared responsibility. TABLE III: Playful Learning Framework Synthesis Perspective Game Mechanics Impact Cognitive Quizzes, planning tasks, storage mechanics Enhanced food waste awareness and prevention Motivational Progress tracking, rewards Increased engagement and behavior change Affective VR, emotional narratives Stronger personal responsibility and empathy Sociocultural Multiplayer/social components Increased communal waste reduction actions D. Research Questions Answers RQ1: Who are the primary users targeted by serious games for food waste reduction? Serious games targeted children (Vasconcelos et al. 2023 [18], Olim et al. 2024 [17]), households (Verloop 2018 [21], Jespersen 2023 [23]), and general users (Seiler 2022 [15], Grüter 2021 [22]). Table I summarizes these distributions. RQ2: What behavioral outcomes have been observed in players? Studies report increased awareness, improved food management, and engagement through gamification (Table II). However, long-term effects remain underexplored. RQ3: What game elements and strategies are used to encourage sustainable behaviors? Games applied cognitive (planning, storage tasks) [18], motivational (goalsetting) [24], affective (VR, storytelling) [15], and sociocultural (community-driven) [22] strategies. Table III categorizes these approaches. IV. CONCLUSION This review examined nine serious games designed to influence food waste reduction behaviors. The findings suggest that serious games can effectively enhance engagement, promote learning, and encourage sustainable food practices. However, most studies focused on short-term effects, with limited research on long-term behavioral change. Also, reported outcomes rely on self-reported data, whose low validity may compromise intervention assessments [26]. Despite methodological limitations, serious games represent a valuable educational tool that can complement broader sustainability efforts. Future research should investigate longterm retention, the effectiveness of different game elements, and cross-platform comparisons to maximize impact. Collaborations between game developers, researchers, and policymakers could help design more scalable and evidence-based interventions for food waste reduction. REFERENCES [1] K. L. Thyberg and D. J. 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