Abstract
Gaming is intrinsically motivated – the motivation for gaming lies within the activity itself. One of the rationales for serious gaming, i.e. using the medium of games for purposes other than entertainment, is the assumption of high motivation fostered by games. Both theoretical discourses and evidence-based meta studies question this assumption. However, together with this assumption, a central justification of high production efforts required for games would also be eliminated, since an equivalent learning effectiveness could presumably also be achieved with media produced more efficiently. Therefore, this study examines whether serious gaming achieves a higher motivation than other learning activities. For three learning activities (serious gaming, lecture and field trip) being part of a Master’s program in Environmental Engineering, the motivation is measured using the instruments SIMS (Situational Motivational Scale) and QCM (Questionnaire to Assess Current Motivation in Learning Situations). The results show an increased intrinsic motivation for serious gaming at higher perceived learning outcomes and lower perceived mental load. Thus, it appears that serious gaming can contribute to an increased motivation. Further, by discussing factors that influence the selection and application of games, the article contributes to attainment of high intrinsic motivation in serious gaming.
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Söbke, H., Arnold, U., Montag, M. (2020). Intrinsic Motivation in Serious Gaming A Case Study. In: Marfisi-Schottman, I., Bellotti, F., Hamon, L., Klemke, R. (eds) Games and Learning Alliance. GALA 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12517. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63464-3_34
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