Chemical Element\nLotto: A Captivating Guessing and\nCultural Game Inspired by the Mexican Lottery

To create meaningful and enjoyable\nlearning experiences,\ngame-based\nlearning has gained popularity for fostering sustained learning across\nall age groups. In response, the “Chemical Element Lotto”\nwas developed as an adaptation of the traditional Mexican game “Lotería”\nto help students familiarize themselves with the periodic table. Beyond\npromoting diversity and multicultural engagement, this game encourages\nthe identification of chemical elements in the periodic table and\nunderstanding of their most important applications and properties.\nThe game, available in English and Spanish, also highlights the history\nand etymology of the elements’ names, as well as their abundance\non Earth and in space. The effectiveness and engagement level of “Chemical\nElement Lotto” was assessed through a study involving 63 undergraduate\nstudents from the Facultad de Química at Universidad Nacional\nAutónoma de México (UNAM). Pre- and postexaminations\nwere conducted to evaluate the students’ familiarity with the\nperiodic table elements and their basic characteristics before and\nafter playing the game. The methodology used has been validated with\na Table of Specifications (TOS) and results showed significant improvement,\nas evidenced by a Student’s <i>t</i> test analysis.\nAdditionally, Likert-type and User Engagement Scale surveys were administered\nto assess the game’s playability, content, usefulness, and\nengagement. The findings suggest that the “Chemical Element\nLotto” initiative was well-received by the student population,\ndemonstrating its potential as an effective educational tool.