Beyond the gameplay: understanding electronic games as artifacts

Electronic games are part of social culture. In this article, we identified the characteristics of these games from an action research carried out in an educational context, verifying in them the attribution of the concept of artifact according to Rabardel (1995), reflecting on the following problem: What are the characteristics of electronic games that enhance the condition in them of artifacts? Thus, we conceptualize artifact and contextualize the characteristics of interactivity, playfulness, immersion and cognitive action in electronic games from three games used by Elementary School students. We conclude with the identification that such characteristics develop the player's cognitive action at different times and spaces in the narrative, configuring electronic games as artifacts.