Characterizing User Needs for GenAI Incorporation in Educational Games

This work explores user needs for educational games and gamification that incorporates Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). As GenAI is increasingly incorporated in educational settings, we must consider both the wide-spanning literature on gamification and games that have been shown to benefit learning, and characterize the needs and desires of relevant stakeholders in developing educational games that incorporate GenAI generally, and specifically for higher education. A mixed-methods questionnaire inquired 345 undergraduate students about their perceptions, use patterns, needs, and desires related to GenAI, educational and non-educational games, and text-based games. GenAI tools are widely used for educational purposes already, but mostly as a supplementary source. Despite the wide use, participants expressed being concerned with accuracy, transparency, and quality. Participants also expressed a desire for an educational game/tool to have scaffolded interactions and to help with learning material in math, science, and language arts. Taken together the findings provide a road map and specific recommendations for developing an educational game incorporating GenAI. The roadmap includes instructional design (i.e., the gamified tools’ content and type(s) of instruction and interaction) through information regarding preferred platforms, game genres, gamified properties (e.g., characters, challenges), and lastly, clear information about concerns students have related to trust and equity that will need to be addressed in an educational game incorporating GenAI.