Roll for Intelligence: Imaginal Serious Games and Student Learning Outcomes

Low student intrinsic motivation poses a significant challenge to higher education. Over-reliance on remote and passive approaches to learning has left many students unmotivated to learn, hampering critical skill development and leaving them underprepared for employment. The need for more innovative forms of teaching is apparent, yet educators operate in a resource-constrained environment. Research endorses the inclusion of active and game-based learning in higher education, however while fantastical elements are common in games and can improve intrinsic motivation, this aspect has been excluded from many serious games. In this paper, we extend on a serious games framework to integrate imaginal elements (escapism, role-projection, and fantasy) in a table-top role-playing game called ‘Challenges and Changelings’ that allows students to ‘roll’ their way to more intrinsic motivation and skill development. A qualitative exploratory case study—which implemented this game as part of a multi-disciplinary university unit—was used to evaluate this as a proof-of-concept. Findings provide initial evidence of the potential for imaginal elements in serious games to enhance student learning outcomes via improving intrinsic motivation, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge application. We provide a novel unifying framework of imaginal learning and provide educators with actionable implementation guidelines and accompanying resources.