Empirical Validation of Serious Game and Video Game Engagement among College Youth: Understanding its Impact on Learning

Abstract

This study proposes and validates a conceptual model for predicting student engagement in playing serious and video games. The model comprises affective and behavioural engagement. The serious game involves gameful experience in formal matters like marketing, healthcare, business, or learning, except for pure entertainment. This study compares the perceptions of college students toward serious games and gameful learning to clarify the confusion between serious games and video games. Data are collected from young college students aged 18 and 25 who are also video game players to validate the conceptual model. This model is then used to find out the relationship between the serious game and video games through the engagement of these students, particularly in the area of affective and behavioral engagement. The research requires the students to experience an entertainment game (Krunker.io) and a serious game (Quizziz) in a classroom. Students spend one match of 20 minutes in a web-based browser multiplayer online game (Krunker.io) and spend one round of gamified quiz learning (Quizziz) in a class session. Afterwards, they answer the questionnaire based on affective and behavioural engagement aspects adapted from another research on gameful experience. This study provides new insights for validating models on students’ affective and behavioural engagement that can be ultimately applied to the learning environment of youth for effective learning. This study identifies the limitations of using video games in helping the learning process apart from improving the learning ability with the power of mutual understanding of any subject matter that involves understanding the impact on learning.

Keywords:  serious game; gamified learning; gameful experience; affective engagement; behavioural engagement