Sustainability in Educational Gamification

Dear Colleagues,

Gamification extracts the characteristics of a game to incorporate them into non-game environments, with the main objective of increasing the motivation to perform activities that are carried out in these non-game environments. Gamification was first defined in 2002, by Pelling, who defined it as the application of a game-like interface to perform electronic transactions in a faster and more exciting way. However, the best-known definition of gamification is that of Deterding et al. in 2011, as the "use of game design elements in non-game contexts".

Gamification can be viewed as an educational innovation strategy. In recent years, it has been adopted by thousands of innovative teachers, who wish to increase their students’ motivation for learning. In this sense, the game elements are perceived to be highly motivating and can alter behaviors through incentives, social and individual reinforcement, or rewards, among other components that make them highly attractive for application in teaching–learning processes. Gamification can be designed and developed in different virtual and/or face-to-face environments. It can be applied while learning is taking place in the classroom, as well as outside the classroom, with gamified reinforcement activities.  Combining it with other innovative methodologies, such as the flipped classroom, is also an excellent strategy.

In addition, gamification can improve the quality of education, contributing to achieving one of the sustainable development goals (SDG) for 2030. With the SDG in mind, it is possible to identify excellent examples of gamification applied in university education. Some authors have shown that when the subject is gamified, both the participation and involvement of the students increase exponentially, and, consequently, their academic performance improves.

There are also other techniques, derived from games, that can increase motivation in education, such as serious games. Serious games used in education are created with specific educational objectives, and their ultimate goal is not only to entertain (as in a video game), but also to educate.

From the literature review, it is essential to emphasize that the influence of game-based learning methods on learning outcomes (cognition and knowledge acquisition), student engagement (motivation and affection), and learning together as a social construction (sociocultural) has been studied.

An important aspect to consider is the relationship between game-based learning and sustainability in education; for example, some universities use educational games to provide students with an environment in which real-life phenomena are simulated. In these projects, essential skills, such as project cost management, informed decision making, stakeholder engagement, uncertainty management, and project control, can be practiced while playing the game.

In a broader view of the application of gamification in developing science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) skills, educational gamification can be a valuable strategy to enable students to learn to take care of the environment.

This Special Issue, entitled "Sustainability in Educational Gamification", aims to publish research and revised articles based on the relationship between sustainability and educational gamification. The topics of interest for this issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Game-based learning for sustainability;
• Learning scenarios based on virtual worlds;
• Game-based learning arrangements;
• Tools for developing game-based learning applications;
• Game-based learning in education and training;
• Technology and implementation issues associated with the development of game-based learning;
• Pedagogical issues associated with game-based learning;
• Social and ethical issues in game-based learning;
• Assessment in game-based learning;
• Integrating games into the curriculum;
• Social and collaborative aspects of game-based learning;
• Motivational aspects of game-based learning;
• Gender/age/cultural issues;
• Ethical concerns of game-based learning;
• Achieving sustainable impact with game-based learning;
• Serious games and gamification in different sectors;
• Designing games for learning;
• Technologies, tools and platforms for developing games for learning;
• Technologies for mobile and multi-user games for learning.

Prof. Dr. Fernando Moreira
Prof. Dr. César A. Collazos
Prof. Dr. Carina Soledad González-González
Dr. Ramiro Manuel Ramos Moreira Gonçalves
Prof. Dr. David Fonseca Escudero
Guest Editors

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• gamification
• serious games
• sustainable goals
• games for learning
• game-based learning