Engagement in educational games was conceptualized as four dimensions but few studies have examined the four dimensions together. Additionally, game features vary greatly in different game genres that demand different engagement dimensions. However, engaging game features were studied in general and did not inquire specific game genres in extant…

Research on gamification's effects in educational environments has been a growing domain in recent years. As research has demonstrated the power of gamified systems to effectively motivate learners in educational settings, it has also become clear that not all individuals are motivated in the same way, or to the same extent, by the same gamified…

This study investigates the effectiveness of digital games in arts education for learning art knowledge and enhancing art interest. Art knowledge includes the topics of art history, production, esthetics, and art criticism. A quasi-experimental approach was used in this study. A 1-month course on arts education digital games was conducted with 40…

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) are reliable predictors of success in school and the workplace. A typical technique for encouraging higher-order thinking is to use instructional design interventions that engage learners in simple cognitive activities. Business simulation game (BSG) is one of the types of interactive learning environments that…

The growing interest in the use of digital games for education resulted in the expansion of the field of game-based learning. There have been several research on the perceptions and attitudes of students towards the use of games for learning. These studies have tried to understand what students make of the use of digital games for learning, as it…

Detection and responding to a player's affect are important for serious games. A method for this purpose was tested within Chem-o-crypt, a game that teaches chemical equation balancing. The game automatically detects boredom, flow, and frustration using the Affdex SDK from Affectiva. The sensed affective state is then used to adapt the game play…

Critical factors that influence the value of digital game-based learning (DGBL) for enhancing learning effectiveness remain debatable. Based on the self-determination theory (SDT), people can be autonomously motivated to adopt DGBL to enhance learning effectiveness if their basic psychological needs are satisfied. Additionally, studies that…

In recent years, more serious games are used in different learning areas to improve the process of knowledge acquisition and learning outcomes. This study discusses a game mode based on a jigsaw puzzle with scaffolding-aid for cultural heritage learning. A case study using an historical pattern from China examines the effectiveness of improving…

Many studies have found that computer video games can offer a facilitative vocabulary learning environment. Among different types of computer games, adventure games have received much attention because of their rich input and immersive learning environment. However, some researchers have indicated that because of the characters' fast-talking speed…

The emergence of block-based environments aims to facilitate the problems caused by the abstractness of text-based languages. Recent studies generally focus on the effect of having block-based experience on programming education. This study is an attempt to observe the transfer of previous programming experiences (block-based vs. text-based) into…

This Special Issue contains some substantially expanded versions of conference papers that were originally presented at the Immersive Learning Research Network's (iLRN) 2018 conference, along with others outside of the conference. iLRN is an international organization of developers, educators, and research professionals collaborating to develop…

Gamification of language learning is a clear trend of recent years. Widespread use of smartphones and the rise of mobile gaming as a popular leisure activity contribute to the popularity of gamification, as application developers can rely on an unprecedented reach of their products and expect acceptance of game-like elements by the users. In terms…

Researchers investigated perceptions of Japanese college students toward the use of digital games in English-language learning. The study was conducted at one large private university in Japan. Undergraduate students who were enrolled in 14 English-language courses were invited to complete a paper-based survey during class time. The survey…

The training of motor skills is a crucial aspect of medical education today. Serious games and haptic virtual simulations have been used in the training of surgical procedures. Otherwise, however, a combination of serious games and motor skills training is rarely used in medical education. This article presents Skills-O-Mat, an interactive serious…

Learning physics often requires overcoming common misconceptions based on naïve interpretations of observations in the everyday world. One proposed way to help learners build appropriate physics intuitions is to expose them to computer simulations in which motion is based on Newtonian principles. In addition, playing video games that require…