Gamification and Social Skills: An Integrative Model for Future Education

In recent years, gamification has become a relevant methodology in an educational setting, transforming how we teach and engage students by incorporating game-like elements such as badges, levels, and challenges. Its rise aligns with the increasing need for a student-centered approach that enhances motivation, interaction and meaningful learning, particularly in digital and virtual contexts. The objective of this research was to determine how gamification contributed to the social skills of a group of technical higher education students, from the Marketing program, in virtual, synchronous mode; for this, a qualitative methodology and an action-research design were used, applied in a course that include gamified sessions, followed by data collection on the experiences and perceptions of the students through semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that students can develop social skills through gamification strategies where they must interact with other classmates and make decisions, either individually or together, to solve problems. Furthermore, gamification not only supports the development of essential skills such as conflict resolution, empathy, and assertive communication, but also fosters increased motivation and deeper, more meaningful learning by incorporating play into the educational process. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to implement the use of various gamification platforms in their sessions. As a result, educators are encouraged to incorporate gamified strategies and platforms to enrich their teaching practices in virtual classrooms. JEL Codes: I21, I23, M53 Keywords: gamification, social skills, assertive communication, virtual learning, Bartle test, conflict resolution.