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Technology-Enhanced Game-Based Approaches in Education: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation
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Technology-Enhanced Game-Based Approaches in Education: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2026 | Viewed by 2855

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 Health Sciences, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Interests: gamificatión, game-based learning; playful strategies; developmental and educational psychology; quantitative research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Building on the growing body of research presented in the previous Special Issue on video games and education (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/mti/special_issues/8F37PJ5A91), this new Special Issue aims to expand the analytical focus toward technology-enhanced game-based and playful learning approaches in educational contexts.

Contemporary educational practice increasingly incorporates playful methodologies grounded in theories of motivation, emotional engagement, and meaningful learning. Digital game-based learning, gamification supported by digital platforms, technology-enhanced educational escape rooms, serious games, simulations, immersive environments (e.g., VR/AR), and other interactive systems involving multimodal technologies have demonstrated significant potential to promote active learning, self-regulation, collaboration, and emotional engagement.

This Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary forum for empirical research and systematic reviews examining how technologically mediated playful approaches influence learning processes, emotional development, and motivation across educational stages, from early childhood education to higher education, adult education, and lifelong learning. Studies conducted in formal, non-formal, or informal learning contexts are welcomed, provided that they explicitly address the role of technology, interaction, or multimodal systems in the learning experience.

Submissions may employ systematic reviews, quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods designs. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Digital game-based learning and its effects on cognitive, emotional, and motivational outcomes;
  • Gamification supported by digital platforms: design, implementation, and evaluation;
  • Technology-enhanced educational escape rooms and interactive problem-solving environments;
  • Comparative studies between video games and other technology-mediated ludic approaches;
  • Teachers’ and students’ perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes toward technology-based playful learning systems;
  • The role of emotions, engagement, and flow in digital and multimodal game-based environments;
  • Inclusive and accessible technology-supported playful approaches in diverse and special education settings;
  • Ethical values, cooperation, and social coexistence fostered through interactive digital games and systems;
  • Design-based research and innovative instructional models grounded in playful human–technology interaction.

By explicitly focusing on game-based learning experiences mediated by digital and multimodal technologies, this Special Issue aims to advance theoretical understanding and provide robust empirical evidence to inform educational practice and technological design. Our goal is to bridge research and application, offering insights that support educators, researchers, designers, and policymakers in the effective integration of interactive technologies across the educational lifespan.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue and to continuing the academic dialogue on the transformative potential of multimodal game-based technologies in education.

Best regards,

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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 (3 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 6557 KB  
Article
A Mixed-Methods Feasibility Pilot Study of Medimon for High School Endocrine Education
by Sebastian Svoboda-Powell, Shane Mitchell, Ciara Bordeaux, Emma Ferguson, Joscelyn Coad, Alexandra Silalahi, Cameron Bowman, Jessi Holte, Patryk Kosmulski and Tyler Bland
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2026, 10(8), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti10080084 - 8 Aug 2026
Viewed by 613
Abstract
Medimon is an educational role-playing game that integrates visual mnemonics, collectible creatures, disease states, treatment items, and artificial intelligence-powered non-player characters (AI-NPCs) to teach biomedical concepts. This single-arm mixed-methods feasibility pilot examined recruitment, gameplay uptake and progression, player experience, descriptive knowledge outcomes, and [...] Read more.
Medimon is an educational role-playing game that integrates visual mnemonics, collectible creatures, disease states, treatment items, and artificial intelligence-powered non-player characters (AI-NPCs) to teach biomedical concepts. This single-arm mixed-methods feasibility pilot examined recruitment, gameplay uptake and progression, player experience, descriptive knowledge outcomes, and AI-NPC interactions during the Medimon endocrine level among high school students. Thirty students consented; 10 generated gameplay data, six completed paired 12-item pretests and posttests, and eight completed a PXI-style survey. Students played independently using a Steam-based build and encountered thyroid, pancreas, and adrenal educational content through exploration, quests, battles, and Medimon collection. Mean paired knowledge scores increased from 19.4% at pretest to 44.4% at posttest, although the change was not statistically significant in this small exploratory sample (p = 0.156). Audiovisual appeal, curiosity, and enjoyment were rated favorably, whereas Progress Feedback was the lowest-rated player-experience domain. Students who completed the posttest demonstrated greater gameplay duration, exploration, quest completion, and Medimon exposure than non-completers. Thematic analysis identified a mismatch between player expectations and AI-NPC scope, including fabricated quests, spatial directions, and game mechanics that introduced unreliable guidance into the educational environment. The study identified barriers related to gameplay uptake, progression feedback, posttest completion, and AI-NPC reliability that should be addressed before the educational efficacy of Medimon is evaluated in a larger controlled study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology-Enhanced Game-Based Approaches in Education: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation)
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17 pages, 8211 KB  
Article
A Kinect-Based Educational Game for Embodied Activities Associated with Psychomotor Skills and Computational Thinking in Early Childhood: A Pilot Feasibility Study
by Walter Choquehuanca-Quispe, Alexis Edmundo Gallegos-Acosta, Hector Cardona-Reyes and Claudia Acra-Despradel
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2026, 10(8), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti10080080 - 28 Jul 2026
Viewed by 381
Abstract
Early childhood education increasingly explores embodied learning, yet deploying markerless motion-controlled tools in real classrooms presents unverified operational and technical challenges regarding system stability and user interaction. This study evaluates the technical feasibility, system usability, and operational viability of a markerless, Kinect-based educational [...] Read more.
Early childhood education increasingly explores embodied learning, yet deploying markerless motion-controlled tools in real classrooms presents unverified operational and technical challenges regarding system stability and user interaction. This study evaluates the technical feasibility, system usability, and operational viability of a markerless, Kinect-based educational game designed to support embodied interaction baseline frameworks for preschool-aged children. The platform captures full-body movement in real time across four progressively challenging spatial tasks. As an exploratory pilot study, the system was deployed in a preschool setting with nine children aged 5–6 (n=9). Technical performance metrics, kinematic trajectory execution data, and qualitative feedback from evaluating educators (n=3) were collected to establish operational baselines. Quantitative metrics demonstrated high technical accuracy and system stability across all stages: 93.1% in spatial navigation, 81.5% in postural coordination, 92.6% in obstacle avoidance, and 96.3% in guided movements, alongside low system-calculated error rates (6.87% to 3.70%). Evaluating teachers confirmed strong student engagement, low operational overhead, and high institutional acceptance for daily classroom routines. Due to the pilot nature and small sample size, direct impacts on psychomotor or computational thinking development cannot be empirically claimed. However, these findings successfully demonstrate the technical reliability and operational feasibility of deploying markerless gesture-based interfaces within authentic early education environments, establishing a validated framework for future large-scale longitudinal learning assessments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology-Enhanced Game-Based Approaches in Education: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation)
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44 pages, 2602 KB  
Article
From Prompt to Play: Examining Computational Thinking Through Vibe Coding in Game Making for Pre-Service Teacher Education
by Nikolaos Pellas
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2026, 10(5), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti10050057 - 21 May 2026
Viewed by 1319
Abstract
Computational thinking (CT) is increasingly recognized as essential in education, yet teacher preparation programs struggle to develop both computational proficiency and pedagogical readiness in pre-service teachers (PSTs). This study examines an AI-mediated, game-making course grounded in the emerging “vibe coding” paradigm, where 24 [...] Read more.
Computational thinking (CT) is increasingly recognized as essential in education, yet teacher preparation programs struggle to develop both computational proficiency and pedagogical readiness in pre-service teachers (PSTs). This study examines an AI-mediated, game-making course grounded in the emerging “vibe coding” paradigm, where 24 novice PSTs iteratively constructed programs through natural language prompting. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the study drew on pre- and post-course attitude questionnaires, reflective accounts of prompting strategies, and open-ended responses. Results indicate that participants substantively engaged with core CT practices, particularly debugging, iterative refinement, and problem decomposition. Nonetheless, this downward recalibration in self-reported coding and teaching confidence represents a productive adjustment rather than a failure. Conversely, attitudes toward game-making improved significantly, with a statistically significant medium effect size for perceived instructional value (d = 0.51), the largest practical effect observed across dimensions. Most participants intended to integrate CT into future teaching. These findings suggest that prompt-driven learning environments support meaningful engagement with computational processes when carefully scaffolded, but do not inherently ensure pedagogical readiness, particularly for higher-order CT practices such as abstraction and pattern recognition. Unlike prior research that has examined game-making processes or PST attitudes toward CT in isolation, this study empirically integrates all three within a single scaffolded instructional design using vibe coding. This integration enables a process-level account of how CT is enacted—and how it develops—when code generation is partially delegated to AI systems. Beyond documenting attitude shifts, the study introduces an analytical rubric for identifying CT engagement in AI-mediated prompting and derives evidence-based design principles that specify the pedagogical conditions under which vibe coding supports, rather than bypasses, computational reasoning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology-Enhanced Game-Based Approaches in Education: Learning, Emotions, and Motivation)
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