Serious games, unlike traditional games, are specifically designed to educate rather
than purely entertain. They employ engaging gameplay mechanics to facilitate knowledge
acquisition and skill development through the overcoming of various challenges. Player
performance is tracked and evaluated throughout the gaming process. Successful completion
of challenges often results in rewards such as points, level advancement, or power-ups.
Educational content is seamlessly integrated into the gameplay, allowing for its subconscious
absorption by players. The effectiveness of the method is mainly due to the mood it
gets players into, often times more stressfree and joyful than traditional learning.
Serious games strive to cultivate positive emotions, therefore motivating students
to continue playing. This engagement lets players take part actively in the learning
process, while also having fun.
Our study explores the potential of serious games to improve students' interest and
help them understand chemical concepts. We have developed a board game related to
electron configuration, the purpose of which is to develop students' critical thinking
and improve their performance in the mentioned topic. The game can be used in both
gymnasium and high school, with minor modifications. In this research, we targeted
gymnasium students with the mentioned technique. We evaluated the changes in students'
knowledge and attitudes with pre- and post-tests. The results show that the gamified
approach resulted in an improvement regarding the students' motivation towards learning
chemistry. The students have also reported a greater sense of achievement. These results
suggest that our board game is an effective tool for promoting active learning and
increasing students' participation in chemistry education.
Serious games create engaging and interactive learning experiences that captivate
learners. They often require learners to solve complex problems and make critical
decisions, fostering higher-order thinking skills. Our game focuses on cultivating
chemical knowledge with a sprinkle of chemical culture, meaning that some game mechanisms
include important and fun facts about scientists, such as Marie Curie, Mendeleev and
many more. We carefully integrated the game into traditional educational settings,
matching the curriculum, thus ensuring an alternative way to teach electron configurations.
Our findings indicate that the gamified approach significantly enhanced students'
motivation and engagement in chemistry. The game's ability to create a positive learning
environment and provide immediate feedback contributed to increased student achievement.
Additionally, the game's incorporation of historical figures and interesting facts
about chemistry added an extra layer of interest and cultural context. By combining
educational content with entertaining gameplay, serious games can revolutionize the
way we teach and learn science.
