The role of narrative in educational gamification. Findings from a case study

Educational gamification, which consists in using game elements to influence learning- related behaviours and attitudes, with the ultimate aim of fostering the formation of positive learning habits, has become increasingly applied in recent years. There are many game elements and mechanics to be used in gamification; however, many applications rely primarily on points, badges and leaderboards. One of the underused game elements is narrative, which seems in contrast to the fact that storytelling is a technique commonly used to increase learner motivation in learning contexts. This qualitative study aims at exploring Higher Education (HE) students' perception of narrative elements in a gamified learning environment, named "The Chronicles of Knowledge" (TCoK), which was tested in the course "Applied Games" involving 24 full-time, first-year university students.