Learning Games Research Articles

Mixed reality strategies for piano education

Head-mounted mixed reality interfaces, in which a user perceives a seamless blend of real, virtual or remote content, have great potential in a wide range of educational contexts. In this paper, we explore the use of mixed reality (MR) in piano education. We begin with a review of previous examples of virtual and mixed reality for piano teaching and learning, identifying four major categories of functionality: remote teaching, learning to read musical notation, providing alternative notation systems to Western musical notation, and enhancing users’ understanding and experience of music. Following this review, we present an application designed to demonstrate the use of MR for facilitating remote student-teacher piano lessons. Additionally, hand-tracking enables real-time, bi-directional visualization of both the student’s and teacher’s hand movements while playing, which is a crucial communication channel in piano instruction. We also present the Piano Theory Hub, an interactive area for independent learning and practice designed to compliment remote instructions. The Piano Theory Hub uses MR to provide spatial in situ explanations and exercises on notes, intervals, scales, and chords. User studies were conducted to evaluate both remote and solo aspects of the application. The first study with 10 participants revealed a strong sense of immersion and co-presence with the teacher during remote lessons. Trials also revealed that, in addition to virtual hands, visual highlighting of key-presses was found to improve visualisation of the remote users’ play. The second study, with 15 participants found the Piano Theory Hub to be helpful for beginners and some intermediate players, with feedback suggesting improvements in user experience and highlighting the limitations of replacing traditional piano teachers. Our experiments demonstrate that MR can be successfully employed for the following strategies for piano education: hand interaction coaching, flexible virtual hand and piano visibility, augmented feedback including key highlighting, gamified learning elements, and flexible teacher positioning options. Overall, the findings suggest that mixed reality holds promise as an effective tool for remote piano learning and music education, offering immersive and engaging learning experiences.

The influences of virtual-reality- and animation-supported gamified learning processes on students’ learning achievement and behavioral intention in retailing management courses

The application of virtual reality (VR)/animation-enhanced technologies to various educational settings has received increasing attention from academics and educators. However, empirical investigation of this issue using an integrated theoretical perspective is scarce in management education. Additionally, prior studies that specifically investigate the influences of the technological attributes of VR/animation-enhanced technologies and learners’ perceptions and experiences in management education contexts are scarce. This study thus investigates this issue by adopting the viewpoints of technological attributes and individual perceptions and experiences to comprehend students’ situated experiential learning. Therefore, to examine whether such a learning method improves learning achievement by enhancing long-term memory, this study conducted a quasi-experiment to understand how technological attributes influence students' cognitive and affective responses, confidence, and satisfaction, thus affecting behavioral intention and learning achievement. A total of 230 students participated in this study. The stimulus-organism-response model, situated learning theory, and flow theory were integrated in this study to explore the relationships between the factors of psychological state and students' experiential learning processes. All hypotheses were supported, except confidence did not significantly influence students' behavioral intention and learning achievement after four weeks. The implications for theory and practice of this study are subsequently discussed.

Effects of Collaborative Support on Learning in Serious Games for Programming

This study examines the effectiveness of a collaborative support method in enhancing programming learning outcomes in a serious game. The game Code Hasp was developed to facilitate the comparison between two support methods, worked examples and a collaborative peer support approach. A total of 111 elementary school students participated, divided into two groups. The experimental group received collaborative support from teammates alongside worked examples, while the control group relied solely on worked examples. Pre- and post-test results and in-game data revealed that the collaborative support method improved learning efficiency and problem-solving skills. A notable effect of the process was the emergence of a leadership role in most collaborative groups. The game’s support design and shared goal structure mitigate potential problems associated with unbalanced participation. These findings suggest that collaborative support systems in serious games are a promising strategy for promoting engagement and improving learning outcomes in programming education.

Causal mechanisms of the psychological needs for online gamified learning and the impact on learning engagement among college students

ABSTRACT This study explores the development process of psychological needs in online gamified learning (OGL) among university students and examines its impact on learning engagement. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the research conducted a purposive sampling survey involving 483 university students with diversified academic backgrounds. Results from Mplus-based analysis show: Perceived autonomy correlates positively with perceived relatedness and perceived competence; Autonomy-Supportive Motivation is positively linked to the three basic psychological needs; Perceived autonomy, perceived relatedness, and perceived competence are positively associated with intrinsic motivation; Intrinsic motivation further correlates positively with learning engagement; and intrinsic motivation, along with the basic psychological needs, mediates the relationship between autonomy-supportive motivation and learning engagement in college students within a OGL environment. Additionally, the study found that external orientation negatively moderated the link between autonomy-supportive motivation and perceived autonomy in college students. The main value of this study is that it reveals the logical relationships within students’ psychological needs in the context of OGL, validating the development process of students’ psychological needs and its impact on learning engagement, emphasizing the crucial two-way interaction between teachers and students, and creating an indirect impetus driven by external contexts, causal factors, and behavioral structures.

Improving students’ responsibility in tennis courses: “The Silent Movement” model for physical education programme

Background: Tennis courses are a mandatory component prepared for prospective physical education teachers in universities. However, many students do not achieve optimal learning outcomes due to the irresponsible attitude of students, which can hinder the learning process. Research Objective: The purpose of this study is to develop and produce a tennis learning model (Silent Movement Tennis) for increasing the sense of personal and social responsibility in students. Silent Movement Tennis is the latest model in tennis learning, and there has been no previous research. Method: This research used the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) method in producing a learning model called “Silent Movement Tennis,” which consists of 4 movement skill activity posts that must be carried out by every student with a sense of responsibility. The respondents of this study are all 4th semester students (academic year 2023-2024), totalling 30 people, consisting of 9 females and 21 males at a university in the city of Palembang. The Silent Movement Tennis model was also validated by 3 experts consisting of 1 learning planning expert, 1 tennis practitioner, and 1 developmental psychologist and analysed using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Finding/Result: The results of validation by experts who have been analysed show the value of the Content Validity Index (CVI) shows an average score of 3.63, and the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) analysis shows an average score of 0.27, which means the model developed is appropriate, relevant, or good, and also high content validity to increase the sense of social and personal responsibility for students. Conclusion: Silent Movement Tennis model as an alternative model to improve basic tennis skills and student responsibility. Future research efforts must focus on the design and implementation of sports values programs, namely by developing learning games and other sports based on the TPSR model to foster and develop a sense of personal and social responsibility that is important for students to become an adaptive and resilient generation, which ultimately contributes to their future success.

Empowering Student Transition and Engaging Students Using Actionbound: A Gamified Collaborative Community Learning Platform

Transition to University is a significant milestone for students who are embracing new experiences and challenges. It is particularly vital for international students who have to adapt to a new and different learning environment in the UK. Successful transition and sense of belonging in a new institution lay foundation for students’ academic success. However, transition is a process rather than an event. Accordingly, fostering a collaborative community learning environment and facilitate peer networks and community support becomes critical. It enables social interactions and active learning by engaging students in collaborative group activities, which would in turn support students’ transition to and belonging in a new learning environment. With the advancement of technology, computer-assisted and computer-supported collaborative learning flourished in 21st century. The emergence of mobile digital technology leads to the design of gamification in learning, known as game-based learning or gamified collaborative community learning in order to engage students in fun and interactive activities. ‘Actionbound’ is one of the versatile gamification platforms and mobile apps which can engage students in collaborative community learning with gamified activities. It enables users to create, share and participate in interactive scavenger hunts, tours, games and quizzes. It allows users to design custom challenges, incorporate multimedia content and track players’ progress in real-time. It engages participants to work collaboratively to solve challenges and complete tasks. At UHBS, we have used Actionbound to support the student transition into the University’ learning journey at the start of term. We used scavenger hunt game and quiz functions within Actionbound to direct students to collaborate in teams to solve the challenges and tasks. In this action research, students found Actionbound fun and loved the competitive nature with points and leaderboards. It helped them build network and form friendship. Together, they solved puzzles and tackled challenges which supported their transition and got them prepared for learning in a new environment. Moving forward, as an ongoing action research, we would like to extend the use of Actionbound to term time and in module delivery so to track students’ engagement with the collaborative learning platform and investigate the impact on their academic performance.

The Effect of Gamification Implementation on Collaboration Skills, Engagement, and Learning Achievement of Students in Class X SMA XYZ

This study explores the impact of gamification on students' collaboration skills, engagement, and learning achievement in the context of 21st-century education. Utilizing an experimental method, the research was conducted to observe the effects of implementing gamification, particularly through the Quizizz application, in classroom learning. The findings revealed that students in the experimental group, who experienced gamified learning, showed significant improvement in collaboration skills, engagement, and academic achievement compared to the control group. The application of gamification provided an interactive and engaging learning environment that promoted active participation and collaboration among students. The use of gamification as a learning strategy not only enhances students' soft skills but also contributes positively to their overall academic performance. These results suggest that gamification is an effective tool in modern educational settings, providing valuable insights for educators and policymakers to enhance learning outcomes.

The impact of different combinations of game elements for gamified learning in higher education on student learning outcomes: a multilevel meta-analysis

ABSTRACT This study employed a multilevel meta-analysis to assess the overall effectiveness of gamified learning on educational outcomes in higher education based on 143 effect sizes from 32 studies published between 2013 and 2024. The analysis specifically evaluated the impact of different combinations of game elements on cognitive, skill-based, and affective learning outcomes and explored the moderating variables influencing gamified learning effects. The findings reveal that gamified learning (g = 0.515) has a moderate impact on student learning outcomes compared to non-gamified conditions. More specifically, the impact of gamified learning on cognitive learning outcomes (g = 0.716) and skill-based learning outcomes (g = 0.605) is moderately high, while its effect on affective learning outcomes is moderately low (g = 0.317). The most effective combinations of game elements for enhancing the cognitive, skill-based, and affective learning outcomes are ‘Performance/Measurement + Ecological + Social + Personal,’ ‘Performance/Measurement + Social + Personal,’ and ‘Performance/Measurement + Ecological + Social + Personal + Fictional,’ respectively. These findings can guide educators in designing gamified learning experiences that significantly enhance various learning outcomes. Additionally, the learning domain and intervention duration moderated the impact of gamified learning.

Utilizing a Digital Escape Room to Improve Students’ Grasp and Understanding of Qualitative Research Methods

Utilizing the potential in game mechanisms for learning purposes is not new. This version of gaming for learning is about developing a Digital Escape Room (DER) revolving around a specific subject: qualitative research methods. Qualitative research methods have proved to be a difficult topic for many UG and PG students. It is thus important to develop tasks that will enable these students to obtain a deep learning experience. The significance of this project lies in that both qualitative and quantitative research methods seem to be difficult to learn for students. It seems to be a curriculum that the students need to invest more time learning than they expect and are willing to spend. Hence, seeking to utilize the potential that lies in immersive gaming. One of the aims of this project is to investigate if and how the DER approach will suit the step-by-step approach that is often used in qualitative research methods courses. Will this approach of solving puzzle-by-puzzle, and then combining answers in order to unlock the next level enable an emergence of more understandings of what the qualitative research is about? In this theoretical paper (work-in-progress), we will look at the DER literature and describe how the different components of the DER will contribute to pedagogical support regarding learning outcomes. In this next phase of this project, we are planning to develop our DER based on the current literature and previous evaluations of DERs, we will also conduct more semi-structure interviews, and further investigation is underway.

Enhancing Speech-to-Text and Translation Capabilities for Developing Arabic Learning Games: Integration of Whisper OpenAI Model and Google API Translate

This study tackles language barriers in computer-mediated communication by developing an application that integrates OpenAI’s Whisper ASR model and Google Translate machine translation to enable real-time, continuous speech transcription and translation and the processing of video and audio files. The application was developed using the Experimental method, incorporating standards for testing and evaluation. The integration expanded language coverage to 133 languages and improved translation accuracy. Efficiency was enhanced through the use of greedy parameters and the Faster Whisper model. Usability evaluations, based on questionnaires, revealed that the application is efficient, effective, and user-friendly, though minor issues in user satisfaction were noted. Overall, the Speech Translate application shows potential in facilitating transcription and translation for video content, especially for language learners and individuals with disabilities. Additionally, this study introduces an Arabic learning game incorporating an Artificial Neural Network using the CNN algorithm. Focusing on the “Speaking” skill, the game applies to voice and image extraction techniques, achieving a high accuracy rate of 95.52%. This game offers an engaging and interactive method for learning Arabic, a language often considered challenging. The incorporation of Artificial Neural Network technology enhances the effectiveness of the learning game, providing users with a unique and innovative language learning experience. By combining voice and image extraction techniques, the game offers a comprehensive approach to enjoyably improving Arabic speaking skills.

"Trust the Process": An Exploratory Study of Process Visualizations for Self-Reflection in League of Legends

Self-reflection, a process consisting of evaluation, attribution, and adaptation, is recognized as key to learning in esports games. To better facilitate self-reflection, many games and third-party tools feature retrospective visualizations that provide players with details about their performance. However, previous work suggested that existing visualizations, which typically aggregate data, do not present sufficient information to players. In this work, we explore the impact of process visualizations, which present gameplay as a sequence of actions, on self-reflection and performance in a League of Legends training exercise through a mixed-methods study. Our results found that players who reflected using a process visualization significantly improved their performance and demonstrated significant differences in how they evaluated themselves compared to those who reflected using an aggregate visualization. We discuss what these results mean in relation to self-reflection and learning in esports and how they impact the future use of process visualizations in games.

Low Latency Feedback: Contrasting Training Outcomes of Immediate versus Delayed Feedback in Speedrunning Super Mario Bros.

With the rise of popularity and societal importance of video games, trends of grinding play for excessive amounts of time to improve proficiency becomes more and more common. This bears not only physical and mental health risks, but has already shown to be detrimental for skill acquisition, defeating its purpose in the first place. For the sake of health promotion, well-being, and the advancement of self-regulated learning, we specifically investigate the impact of detailed feedback on player performance. As research about comparable activities in related domains suggest inconclusive implications for when feedback in video game learning should be presented, we particularly explore the impact of delivering immediate versus delayed feedback, during or after play. Using (n = 30) participants and the well-investigated Super Mario Bros., we communicate insights in favor for deploying feedback immediately when polishing one's video game related skills such as in speedrunning.

The effect of gamified e-learning on marine ecology education: insights from Iranian maritime students

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a gamified e-learning experience in marine ecology among Iranian maritime students. A pre-test/post-test design was adopted to achieve this purpose, focussing on the gamified experience itself rather than comparing it with traditional instructional approaches. The statistical population consisted of 15 undergraduate students at a maritime institute in Tehran, Iran, who were randomly selected. Reliability tests were conducted to collect data, and the test’s validity was approved by teachers and experts in the field of environmental education. Its reliability was determined to be 0.75 using the Kuder-Richardson methodology. Participants engaged in a gamified learning experience over a 2-week period. The study highlighted the post-test results and participants’ perceptions within the gamified learning environment. The results revealed that e-learning paired with gamification had a positive impact on students’ engagement and understanding of geographically remote ecological topics, including coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds and endemic species of the regions. These findings provide valuable insights for environmental teachers, learners, authorities and curriculum developers in maritime educational systems, emphasising the potential benefits of incorporating gamified learning experiences in educational curricula.

A Conceptual Framework for the Development of Effective Serious Games for Learning

Currently, the interest in using serious games as a tool for learning and teaching in traditional educational processes has increased significantly. Therefore, serious games for learning are gaining increasing attention from researchers and domain experts (educators), as they are both looking for methods and tools to improve the quality of learning. Even though there are many existing design frameworks, models, and methodologies that offer valuable insights into the possibilities and limitations of serious games for learning, they focus mostly on high-level aspects and requirements of these games. Therefore, they do not fully help in understanding how such aspects can be concretely fulfilled. In this research, we investigate, characterize, and categorize the functional requirements and aspects needed for developing effective serious games for learning. This investigation aims to construct a conceptual framework to fill the gap in the current design frameworks. The proposed conceptual framework is used to understand the game´s structure and behavior with a focus on both aspects of serious games (educational and entertainment aspects), in other words, providing a way to think about the relationships between serious game components and the learning objectives of the game. The main contributions of the proposed conceptual framework are to facilitate and support the design and development process of these games as well as to enhance the collaborative work within a multidisciplinary development team. Finally, to show the feasibility and applicability of the conceptual framework, a practical example is presented to demonstrate the use of this framework. Furthermore, we conducted an evaluation process for implementing the conceptual model. The evaluation shows promising results in helping participants, particularly those with gaming experience, to understand and identify the roles of each component in the game and recognize the game's learning objectives. This will eventually lead to design and develop effective learning games in a flexible and easy-to-use way.

A Child-Centred Design Evaluation of a Learning Game to Improve Children’s Legal Capability

Children lack awareness and understanding of their rights and the law. There is a need to address this gap and empower children to become advocates for their rights when they encounter law-related issues. A promising approach to achieving this is through the use of games. In particular, games focused on learning have evolved into novel tools that can raise awareness as well as help children acquire essential skills. In this paper, we present a child-centred design approach to evaluating the initial version of a learning game designed to help children across a wide age range (3-15 years) and with diverse characteristics, improve their legal knowledge, skills, and confidence. This study supports the integral role and value of child participation in testing the usability of a law-based learning game and shaping its design. A mixed methods approach, grounded in user-centred principles, was employed to assess the first prototype (P1) of the game. 45 children from various schools and early years settings in South Yorkshire and the Midlands, UK were involved. This included children from: 1) advisory groups, 2) case study groups, and 3) game development groups, with an age range of 4 to 16 years old. School staff were also invited to give their feedback. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through questionnaires, and field note observations, and analyses were conducted through both thematic analysis and non-parametric statistical methods. We found the game was received positively overall, but further development was needed to make it accessible and engaging, especially for the youngest participants. Importantly, participants of diverse ages and characteristics shared valuable insights into enhancements to make the game more intuitive, interactive, and enjoyable, and these findings informed the development of the beta version of the game.

The Ludo-Learning Matrix: A Framework for Understanding Learning in Games

Games have been widely recognized as methods of making learning more engaging. This has proven to be very attractive to those attempting to get complex fields such as cybersecurity training to a wider audience. Unfortunately, there is a failure to understand that each type of game serves a different educational purpose, leading to the situation where the games are being selected incorrectly and are failing to fulfill their promise. To address this issue, key concepts in learning and games were identified from the literature and then operationalized into an analytical framework. The concepts of player agency, message broadcasting, the transfer of learning and the type of challenges present in the game were selected. This generated a framework that is player-focused rather than content-focused and could be applied to any potential learning game. To validate the framework, three cybersecurity games were selected and analyzed using a ludo-textual approach. Cyberciege, a single player game aimed at university students, Spoofy, a kids’ web browser game and Tallinn Soldier, a seminar wargame, were selected to give as wide a sample as possible. The paper goes on to report on the results of the analysis and discuss how this may be used to examine and design learning games for cybersecurity in the future. Each of the selected games focus on different mechanisms for learning and engagement, highlighting the design tradeoffs that were made in the creation of the game. The proposed analytical framework can be applied not just to cybersecurity training games but theoretically to understanding any game that has learning as its objective.

Beyond the Digital: Analogue Games´ Creative Potential in Deepening Data Literacy

: In an era where digital technology often dominates the educational landscape, the enduring appeal and educational potential of analogue learning games remain significant. These traditional, non-digital games, offer a tactile and interactive approach to learning that is both unique and impactful. Unlike their digital counterparts, analogue games require physical presence and direct interaction, which bring benefits to the educational process (Ribeiro, 2019; Medeisiene et al., 2021). This small case study explores, through a sociocultural lens, how analogue learning games influence creative learning processes in Continuing Education students. The results of a questionnaire to 43 participants enrolled in a course on Data Literacy in Norway, show that analogue learning games promote active engagement, foster social interaction, and stimulate innovative thinking connected to the course content when the setting around the activity feels safe for the participants. Participants also expressed that the tactile and social nature of analogue games encouraged more profound group discussions, leading to diverse perspectives and novel ideas. This resonates with findings from Medeisiene et al. (2021) who highlight the pedagogical value of game-based learning in enhancing engagement. These interactions not only bolstered creativity but also enhanced and deepened understanding and retention of knowledge from the Data Literacy course content. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of context and facilitation in maximising the benefits of analogue games for Continuing Education students. The findings suggest a promising avenue for further exploration into using analogue games in educational contexts. The study concludes with advocating conducting more research on the integration of learning games into continuing education curricula as a strategy to leverage the benefits of social interaction and active engagement, and to enhance creative learning that can deepen learning of course content.

Limes (the Roman Frontier): Developing a Video Game for History Learning

The use of gaming technologies in education holds great promise to provide engaging learning experiences. Whereas video games have been successfully used to foster learning in several school subjects, the current understanding of the potential of video games for history learning is still limited. This paper details the development of Limes, a 2D top-down educational game created in Unity and rendered in pixel art. The game targets 5th/6th grade secondary school students and is set in the third century AD in southern Germany, a period characterized by political and social instabilities. Limes digs into the complex relations between the Roman Empire and the Alemanni tribe, one of the most powerful Germanic tribes of this period. The player can experience this pixelated world through the eyes of an Alemanni child, who forms a friendship with a Roman centurion. The unfolding narrative places the young protagonist in the precarious balance of peace and conflict, and the player needs to navigate the diplomatic tensions of the era. The gameplay consists of five levels, including primary missions and optional secondary missions which unlock special features (e.g., puzzles, quizzes). Limes incorporates a variety of game mechanics, ranging from running and interacting with characters to stealth missions, throwing rocks, and horse racing. These dynamics are integrated into the historical narrative of the game, enriching the player's experience. The game development process combined insights and methods from multiple disciplines, including game-based learning, educational, social, and cultural psychology, education sciences and pedagogy, and history education. Moreover, the game capitalizes on Unity’s wide array of development tools, which provide extensive customization possibilities, and employs pixel art, facilitating an engaging environment while maintaining a cost-conscious development process. Initial tests and expert feedback highlight the promise of Limes as a game that leverages historical accuracy and innovative educational tools to foster a deeper understanding of Roman history. Next steps include empirical studies with students to test the game's effectiveness (e.g., in improving interest in and knowledge of Roman history).

Escaping Online: Teacher Student Engagement in a Digital Escape Game

Escape games have become popular as a learning activity and are being used in a large variety of subjects (e.g., chemistry (Peleg et al, 2019), music (Babazadeh et al, 2022)). Research has shown that they are generally engaging for students (Veldkamp et al, 2020). However, the study of engagement is often limited to its observable aspect (e.g., the students are having fun; they are participating in the learning activity) or is not the focus of the analysis. Fewer studies are also investigating the use of escape games in fully online settings, when students are each playing from their own location. This research study is exploring engagement from the students’ perspective, within a fully online course in a teacher education program at a Norwegian university. Teacher students were invited to play Radioaktiv, a digital escape game for natural sciences on the topic of radioactivity. Six pairs of students also participated in guided interviews after playing. Reflexive thematic analysis of the interview data with the students was conducted to investigate what characterised the students’ experience of engagement while playing the online escape game Radioaktiv. Through this research question, the study is taking a closer look at what it means when the students say they were engaged in the game. Findings show four main aspects of the students’ experience of engagement. First, the time pressure was found to be a double-edged sword. Students found the timer engaging, but some were also too stressed by its presence to the detriment of learning outcomes. Second, students were engaged in completing tasks for their own sake, independently from other game aspects. Third, students appreciated having a read thread, but were not engaged in the specific narrative of the escape game. Finally, students positioned themselves as teachers and it strongly defined their experience of engagement in the game. They saw the game through the potential it held for their own pupils. These findings raise questions about the selection of escape games for learning in online environments and when and how to use them (e.g., discover a new theme, repetition, focus on soft skills).

Rekindling Connections to Languages through Socio-Cultural Immersion Using Game-Based Learning and Virtual Reality: Cipher VR Case Study

Traditional language learning methods often fall short in engaging learners, especially in the context of indigenous languages like Irish. In this study we show how the language learning game Cipher VR combines digital game-based language learning with Virtual Reality (VR) to reconnect learners with indigenous languages, using the Irish language as a case study. Initially designed for English, Cipher has undergone several iterations to adapt to the Irish context, and is now completing its metamorphosis into a VR platform aimed at meeting the needs of less-resourced and endangered languages. This paper explores Cipher VR's development, emphasising the learner-centric design that merges educational aims, engaging gameplay and a culturally grounded approach to create an immersive and motivating learning experience.