Bibliometric Mapping of Games and SDGs: Positioning Traditional Games for Joyful Learning and Social Interaction in SDG 4

This study aims to map global scientific developments and research trends at the intersection of game-related studies and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while identifying the position and future potential of traditional games within SDG 4. A quantitative descriptive bibliometric approach was applied using data retrieved from the Scopus database. The search was conducted using the query TITLE-ABS-KEY (("Traditional Games" OR "Game* Theory" OR "Game-Based Learning") AND ("Sustainable Development Goals" OR "SDG*")), covering publications indexed from 2016 to May 2026. Based on the inclusion criteria, a final corpus of 114 documents was retained for bibliometric analysis. Data analysis and network visualization were conducted using VOSviewer to identify keyword co-occurrence, geographical contributions, and thematic structures within the scientific landscape. The results reveal a marked increase in publication volume and accumulated citations during the study period, particularly between 2022 and 2025. China, India, and the United States emerged as the leading contributing countries. The bibliometric network further identified thematic clusters linking SDG-oriented research with low-carbon supply chain management, Stackelberg decision modeling, sustainability-related decision making, and educational approaches involving gamification and collaborative learning. These findings indicate that game-related SDG research remains predominantly oriented toward industrial sustainability and macro-environmental applications, whereas traditional games grounded in local wisdom remain weakly represented in the indexed literature. This underrepresentation highlights an important research opportunity to position traditional games as culturally grounded approaches to joyful learning, social interaction, and quality education within SDG 4.