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Applied Sciences
Volume 16
Issue 7
10.3390/app16073300
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Article

Negotiating Virtually and Face-to-Face: Experience from a Serious Game Conducted in Person and via Smartphone Application

by
Nils Haneklaus
1,2,*,
László Simon Horváth
3,
Hendrik Brink
4,
Kim Brink-Flores
5,
Hilda Dinah Kyomuhimbo
4,6,
Tzong-Ru Lee
7,
Matúš Mišík
8,
Hynek Roubík
9,
Martin Kiselicki
10,
Patrícia Szabó
3,
Tibor Guzsvinecz
11 and
Cecilia Sik-Lanyi
3
1
Research Lab for Global Futures and Complex Systems, University for Continuing Education Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria
2
Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
3
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, 8200 Veszprem, Hungary
4
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
5
Department of Music, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
6
Department of Chemistry, Kyambogo University, P.O. Box 1, Kampala, Uganda
7
Department of Marketing, National Chung Hsing University, 145 Xingda Rd., Taichung City 402, Taiwan
8
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Political Science, Dúbravska cesta 9, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
9
Department of Food and BioResource Technology, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
10
Faculty of Economics—Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
11
Department of Information Technology and Its Applications, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, 8900 Zalaegerszeg, Hungary
 
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 3300; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073300 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 4 January 2026 / Revised: 19 March 2026 / Accepted: 25 March 2026 / Published: 29 March 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies of Human-Computer Interaction)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Serious games and negotiation simulations such as the Phosphorus Negotiation Game (P-Game) are increasingly used to support sustainability-oriented education. To broaden accessibility, a smartphone-based version of the face-to-face P-Game was developed and is presented here. A comparative design integrating quantitative pre–post survey measures with analysis of open-ended responses was employed to examine self-reported knowledge gains and learning experiences among participants who completed the P-Game in face-to-face workshops and those who played the virtual version. Both formats were associated with significant increases in participants’ perceived understanding of phosphorus science and negotiation science/practice. Self-reported knowledge of phosphorus science increased by 92.3% (global face-to-face), 70.7% (Hungarian face-to-face), and 88.4% (online), with comparable gains observed in negotiation science and practice across groups. Qualitative findings complemented these results, indicating that while learning gains were broadly similar, the modes differed in experiential emphasis: face-to-face delivery elicited performance-oriented and socially embedded reflections, whereas the online format was more frequently described in terms of structured participation and reflective processing. User satisfaction with the virtual P-Game was high, reflected by a System Usability Scale (SUS) score above 80. Overall, the findings suggest that the virtual P-Game represents a viable and accessible complement to traditional face-to-face implementation, maintaining educational impact while extending reach. Further research with larger and more diverse participant samples is recommended to strengthen generalizability and explore long-term learning outcomes in sustainability contexts.
Keywords: Phosphorus Negotiation Game (P-Game); serious game; negotiation simulation; smartphone application; sustainability education; digital learning tools Phosphorus Negotiation Game (P-Game); serious game; negotiation simulation; smartphone application; sustainability education; digital learning tools

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MDPI and ACS Style

Haneklaus, N.; Horváth, L.S.; Brink, H.; Brink-Flores, K.; Kyomuhimbo, H.D.; Lee, T.-R.; Mišík, M.; Roubík, H.; Kiselicki, M.; Szabó, P.; et al. Negotiating Virtually and Face-to-Face: Experience from a Serious Game Conducted in Person and via Smartphone Application. Appl. Sci. 2026, 16, 3300. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073300

AMA Style

Haneklaus N, Horváth LS, Brink H, Brink-Flores K, Kyomuhimbo HD, Lee T-R, Mišík M, Roubík H, Kiselicki M, Szabó P, et al. Negotiating Virtually and Face-to-Face: Experience from a Serious Game Conducted in Person and via Smartphone Application. Applied Sciences. 2026; 16(7):3300. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073300

Chicago/Turabian Style

Haneklaus, Nils, László Simon Horváth, Hendrik Brink, Kim Brink-Flores, Hilda Dinah Kyomuhimbo, Tzong-Ru Lee, Matúš Mišík, Hynek Roubík, Martin Kiselicki, Patrícia Szabó, and et al. 2026. "Negotiating Virtually and Face-to-Face: Experience from a Serious Game Conducted in Person and via Smartphone Application" Applied Sciences 16, no. 7: 3300. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073300

APA Style

Haneklaus, N., Horváth, L. S., Brink, H., Brink-Flores, K., Kyomuhimbo, H. D., Lee, T.-R., Mišík, M., Roubík, H., Kiselicki, M., Szabó, P., Guzsvinecz, T., & Sik-Lanyi, C. (2026). Negotiating Virtually and Face-to-Face: Experience from a Serious Game Conducted in Person and via Smartphone Application. Applied Sciences, 16(7), 3300. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073300

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