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Video Games: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation
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Video Games: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation

A special issue of Multimodal Technologies and Interaction (ISSN 2414-4088).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 4368

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Manzano-León

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Interests: gamification; game-based learning; engagement; academic motivation; special needs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. José M. Rodríguez Ferrer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Interests: gamification; game-based learning; educational escape rooms; inclusive education; teacher training
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Video games have evolved beyond their role as a leisure activity to become a significant cultural phenomenon, influencing multiple domains of human interaction and development. Integrating them into educational contexts can offer transformative opportunities to enhance learning experiences, foster motivation, and engage emotions. Video games' interactive and immersive nature positions them as powerful tools in the creation of meaningful educational environments that encourage active participation, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

This Special Issue will explore the multifaceted relationship between video games and education, providing a platform for innovative research and systematic reviews. Contributions should employ quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies to address key areas of interest, which include, but are not limited to, the development and application of educational video games and serious games, the role of video games in learning processes, their impact on school coexistence, and perceptions of teachers and students of their use in the classroom. Furthermore, we invite studies examining the ethical values embedded in video games and their potential for inclusion in special education settings.

This Special Issue will deepen our understanding of the potential to use video games as educational tools and their broader implications for motivation and emotional development in learning environments. We aim to achieve this by bridging theoretical and practical perspectives.

Dr. Ana Manzano-León
Dr. José M. Rodríguez Ferrer
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • educational video games
  • serious games
  • game-based learning
  • motivation in education
  • emotional engagement
  • ethical values in gaming

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 715 KiB  
Article
Developing Comprehensive e-Game Design Guidelines to Support Children with Language Delay: A Step-by-Step Approach with Initial Validation
by Noha Badkook, Doaa Sinnari and Abeer Almakky
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2025, 9(7), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti9070068 - 3 Jul 2025
Viewed by 291
Abstract
e-Games have become increasingly important in supporting the development of children with language delays. However, most existing educational games were not designed using usability guidelines tailored to the specific needs of this group. While various general and game-specific guidelines exist, they often have [...] Read more.
e-Games have become increasingly important in supporting the development of children with language delays. However, most existing educational games were not designed using usability guidelines tailored to the specific needs of this group. While various general and game-specific guidelines exist, they often have limitations. Some are too broad, others only address limited features of e-Games, and many fail to consider needs relevant to children with speech and language challenges. Therefore, this paper introduced a new collection of usability guidelines, called eGLD (e-Game for Language Delay), specifically designed for evaluating and improving educational games for children with language delays. The guidelines were created based on Quinones et al.’s methodology, which involves seven stages from the exploratory phase to the refining phase. eGLD consists of 19 guidelines and 131 checklist items that are user-friendly and applicable, addressing diverse features of e-Games for treating language delay in children. To conduct the first validation of eGLD, an experiment was carried out on two popular e-Games, “MITA” and “Speech Blubs”, by comparing the usability issues identified using eGLD with those identified by Nielsen and GUESS (Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale) guidelines. The experiment revealed that eGLD detected a greater number of usability issues, including critical ones, demonstrating its potential effectiveness in assessing and enhancing the usability of e-Games for children with language delay. Based on this validation, the guidelines were refined, and a second round of validation is planned to further ensure their reliability and applicability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Video Games: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation)
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28 pages, 3350 KiB  
Article
Designing Gamified Intergenerational Reverse Mentorship Based on Cognitive Aging Theory
by Sijie Sun
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2025, 9(6), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti9060064 - 19 Jun 2025
Viewed by 478
Abstract
With the intensification of population aging, elderly individuals face significant barriers in learning digital skills, leading to a widening digital divide. Based on Cognitive Aging Theory, this study proposes and validates an original paradigm called Structured Gamified Intergenerational Digital Reverse Mentorship to enhance [...] Read more.
With the intensification of population aging, elderly individuals face significant barriers in learning digital skills, leading to a widening digital divide. Based on Cognitive Aging Theory, this study proposes and validates an original paradigm called Structured Gamified Intergenerational Digital Reverse Mentorship to enhance digital literacy among the elderly. Cognitive Aging Theory suggests that due to declines in memory, attention, and executive function, older adults encounter challenges when learning new technologies, while gamified learning combined with intergenerational interaction can help reduce cognitive load and increase learning motivation. This study designed a collaborative gamified digital reverse mentorship application, “Digital Bridge”, and employed a randomized controlled trial method, assigning 90 participants aged 60 and above into three groups: the traditional digital mentorship group (Group A), the independent gamified learning group (Group B), and the collaborative gamified digital mentorship group (Group C). Each intervention session lasted 30 min and was conducted in a controlled environment. Experimental results showed that Group C significantly outperformed Groups A and B in digital skill acquisition, user experience, and learning motivation (p < 0.001), indicating that the combination of gamified learning and intergenerational interaction effectively enhances learning interest, reduces learning anxiety, and improves skill transferability. This study provides a new approach to elderly digital literacy education and offers theoretical and practical support for the design of future age-friendly digital learning tools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Video Games: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation)
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15 pages, 693 KiB  
Article
Evaluating a UDL-Based Digital Escape Room for Bullying Awareness in Secondary Education
by Yosra Achab-Moukram, Paula Rodríguez-Rivera, José Manuel Aguilar-Parra, José M. Rodríguez-Ferrer, Javier Rodríguez-Moreno and Ana Manzano-León
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2025, 9(6), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti9060055 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1184
Abstract
This study evaluates the effectiveness of a digital escape room designed according to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles as an educational tool to raise awareness about school bullying and cyberbullying in lower secondary education. Using a quasi-experimental design with 137 students [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of a digital escape room designed according to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles as an educational tool to raise awareness about school bullying and cyberbullying in lower secondary education. Using a quasi-experimental design with 137 students (66 in the control group and 71 in the experimental group), the gamified activity was compared to a traditional expository intervention. Empathy was measured using the Brief Basic Empathy Scale (BES-B), and bullying-related knowledge and experiences were assessed with the SPB-A scale. The escape room integrated key UDL principles, including multiple means of representation (e.g., video, images, text), action and expression (interactive tasks and puzzles), and engagement (narrative-based missions and collaborative challenges). The results indicate significant improvements in knowledge about behaviors related to school bullying among participants who completed the escape room. Although changes in affective and cognitive empathy were not statistically significant, positive trends were observed in the experimental group. The immersive, collaborative, and accessible nature of the activity positions the escape room as a promising tool within broader strategies for bullying prevention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Video Games: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation)
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27 pages, 6914 KiB  
Article
A New Serious Game (e-SoundWay) for Learning English Phonetics
by Alfonso Lago-Ferreiro, María Ángeles Gómez-González and José Carlos López-Ardao
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2025, 9(6), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti9060054 - 4 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1622
Abstract
This paper presents the design and evaluation of e-SoundWay, a cross-platform serious game developed to improve English phonetic competence through a multimodal and narrative-driven approach. While the platform is specifically tailored to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking learners, it is adaptable for [...] Read more.
This paper presents the design and evaluation of e-SoundWay, a cross-platform serious game developed to improve English phonetic competence through a multimodal and narrative-driven approach. While the platform is specifically tailored to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking learners, it is adaptable for a wider range of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) users. e-SoundWay offers over 600 interactive multimedia minigames that target three core competencies: perception, production, and transcription. Learners progress along a gamified version of the Camino de Santiago, interacting with characters representing diverse English accents. A mixed-methods evaluation combining pre- and post-tests with a user experience questionnaire revealed statistically significant improvements across all domains, particularly in perception. Reduced post-test variability indicated more equitable learning outcomes. User satisfaction was high, with 64% of participants reporting satisfaction with their phonetic progress and 91% stating they would recommend the platform. These findings highlight the educational effectiveness, accessibility, and motivational value of e-SoundWay, reinforcing the role of serious games and multimodal technologies in delivering inclusive and engaging pronunciation instruction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Video Games: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation)
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