The effect of a competing-based serious game on students' learning and academic engagement in a writing course (Case study: Neuroland serious game)

Educators are typically responsible for providing students with educational serious games. Educational game designers must increase player enjoyment by incorporating elements such as competition, thereby potentially enhancing the educational value of the games. In this study, the effect of competition, one of the elements of designing game environments, on learning and academic engagement was investigated experimentally by designing a serious game based on competition. The study's statistical population comprised all fifth-grade students in Aligudarz city during the 2022-2023 school year. The sample was selected by random sampling from two classes of 30 individuals and divided into experimental and control groups. The research design was quasi-experimental and consisted of a pre-and post-test. The research instruments included tests developed by researchers and the Reeve academic engagement questionnaire. The experimental and control groups' learning environments were simultaneously and separately impacted by the competition-based serious game and the serious game for 14 sessions. The results of univariate covariance analysis showed that competition in the serious game on academic engagement (F=34.798; P=0.000) and learning (F=8.671, P=0.005) have a significant effect on a fifth-grade writing course. In addition, a multivariate covariance analysis revealed that competition in a serious game affects cognitive engagement(F=7.088;P=0.010),and behavioral engagement (F=14.087;p=0.000),emotional engagement(F=24.241; P=0.000). Therefore, educational game designers should include a 'competition' element to make educational serious games more enjoyable.