Gamified Strategy for the Development of Critical Reading in Secondary School Students: Creation and Validation of "Critical Explorer"

This article aims to describe the design and validation of an educational video game titled Critical Explorer, developed as a gamified strategy to enhance critical reading skills in secondary school students. The research adopted a projective design with a qualitative approach and was conducted in a high school in Montería, Colombia. The video game was built following an iterative methodology that included three main phases: analysis, design, and validation. During the analysis phase, educational needs related to critical reading and students' preferences for digital games were identified. In the design phase, the video game elements were developed based on gamification theories, incorporating narratives, challenges, and rewards. Finally, in the validation phase, an evaluation process involving experts in pedagogy and video game design was conducted to ensure its educational relevance and effectiveness. The results indicate that Critical Explorer possesses characteristics that make it an innovative tool for fostering skills such as analysis, inference, and argumentation in academic contexts. This study highlights the importance of integrating gamified strategies into teaching, promoting meaningful and motivating learning experiences.