transformational games
Games designed to transform the player by helping them see things in a different way, feel emotion, etc. Educational games are well studied, but many games are taking it a step further, helping players wrestle with their identity and think about the world they live in.
Transformational games may also seek to transform the world beyond the player, e.g. through data collection in citizen science.
See my broader note on: what can games do? and what can't games do?
Transformational games are an umbrella term for serious games, educational games, Games with a purpose, explorables, etc.
Unfortunately for us researchers, transformational games are hard to study
