Playing in school or at home? An exploration of the effects of context on educational game experience

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to gain insight into the effects of context on the educational game experience. More particularly, it deals with the differences in the playing and learning experiences of adolescent players in a domestic (N=135) compared to a classroom (N=121) context. It is hypothesized that the playing and learning experiences will differ significantly between contexts. Results of the quasi-experimental design suggest that game and learning experiences are higher in a domestic compared to an educational context. These experiences, however, are influenced by the time spent playing and by technical performance. Moreover, the effect of experiences such as enjoyment and identification on learning experiences have a more substantial impact on perceived learning than differing contexts.