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This chapter introduces Interactive Information Artefacts as a conceptual category that foregrounds the interdependence of informational content and interactive form. It argues that existing design models are insufficient for information-rich systems because they overlook how meaning-making, semantic clarity, and contextual framing shape interpretation and action. The chapter proposes three necessary adaptations: integrating utilitarian and hedonic design qualities, including multiple stakeholder perspectives, and explicitly recognising meaning-making as a primary design responsibility. These adaptations culminate in the Structural–Behavioural–Experiential dimensions, a model that enables designers to align structural provisions, emergent behaviours, and experiential outcomes. The chapter concludes by presenting a six-stage process for planning and analysing Interactive Information Artefacts, offering a practical scaffold for designing and evaluating systems in complex, information-intensive environments.

The rapid evolution of novel technologies, such as generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), has created a demand for advanced competencies among public sector employees, particularly educators. AI literacy is emerging as an essential skill set for effectively navigating and utilising AI technologies, while social-emotional competencies (SEC) are increasingly recognised for their critical role in fostering cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes in education. This narrative literature review examines the intersection of AI literacy and SEC, proposing an integrated framework to create a supportive, technologically adept, and emotionally intelligent educational ecosystem. The review identifies three key themes through thematic analysis: AI's transformative potential in reshaping educational practices, its influence on educational providers and stakeholders, and the ethical considerations of AI integration in education. The findings indicate that integrating AI literacy with SEC can enhance educational outcomes by promoting personalised learning, fostering collaboration, and addressing ethical challenges. By equipping educators and students with both technological and emotional intelligence, this framework supports a holistic approach to skill development, preparing stakeholders for a future where digital and relational competencies are equally valued in navigating the complexities of an interconnected world.

Gamification is a design strategy that can support higher education students’ autonomous motivation by targeting the basic psychological needs. Yet, to date, the field lacks a comprehensive overview of how this can be achieved. The present scoping review aimed to uncover gamification design strategies that influence higher education students’ basic psychological need support. Following a hybrid search strategy, 20 studies were identified based on 897 entries in Scopus and subsequent backward and forward snowballing. The studies had designed gamification to support higher education students’ basic psychological needs and provided a rationale for how the needs were affected by the intervention. By conducting a basic content analysis, we identified four educational gamification design strategies to support autonomy, three to support competence, and two to support relatedness. The overall results highlight the importance of considering how individual game elements are designed and integrated into learning contexts and understanding how gamification design strategies concurrently affect different students and basic psychological needs.

Teaching game development may come at odds with long-standing university structures due to industrial and cross- and multidisciplinary art-design-engineering aspects. This systematic literature review outlines standard practices for teaching game development in higher education. It shows two decades of increasing demand for established methods, with research that does not primarily focus on student motivation and engagement remaining sparse; out of 1076 records screened, 108 publications were included. Findings strongly indicate that project-based learning (PBL) structures with student groups creating game prototypes are effective. Many publications provide rich analysis of shorter courses or interventions. However, well-documented shortcomings in individual assessment and support in PBL structures are rarely addressed. Recommendations for higher education practice include curriculum restructuring with longer educational timeframes, clear progression paths, and robust measurement frameworks to address common challenges to student collaborative dynamics and enable missing fundamental skill development in computational thinking and theory-driven artistic approaches.

It has been suggested that the functional significance learners ascribe to virtual rewards in gamified systems can have a significant impact on intrinsic motivation. Yet, to date, there has been a lack of research examining this relationship empirically. In the present study, we therefore applied Cognitive Evaluation Theory to examine how learners’ (n = 162) interpretation of virtual rewards in Duolingo affected autonomy satisfaction, competence satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation. Based on a structural equation modeling approach, our findings suggests that the informational significance learners ascribe to virtual rewards positively affects competence satisfaction, and that autonomy and competence satisfaction together affect intrinsic motivation. For the HCI field, the results point towards the importance of moving beyond treating virtual rewards in gamified learning as a use-or-avoid decision, and instead consider how such design elements can be modified to provide increased encouragement and positive feedback.

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has been discussed as offering both opportunities and challenges in education. With the widespread adoption and distinctive technological characteristics of GenAI, there is a growing need for research examining whether existing technology adoption models adequately explain its use in higher education contexts. This cross-sectional study addressed this need by investigating higher education teachers' (n = 128) adoption and use of GenAI in their teaching practices. A conceptual model based on the extended UTAUT framework for AI tools was developed and tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicated that teachers' perceptions of GenAI error rates significantly predicted their performance expectancy, and in turn, positively influenced both adoption and frequency of use. Contrary to expectations, perceived ease of use and social influence did not significantly affect adoption or use. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of adapting traditional information systems adoption models to account for the distinctive characteristics of GenAI technologies.

For organizations to stay relevant and competitive in today's digital era, there is a need to integrate continuous workplace learning initiatives. This chapter explores gamification's niche yet crucial role in workplace learning, specifically in the context of lifelong learning. While gamification has been studied to a large extent in the context of formal education, little emphasis has been placed on gamification in a workplace learning environment. In the present chapter, we highlight the distinct potential of isolating workplace gamification from other learning gamification strategies, evolving into what we term “instructional gamification,” focusing on the workplace learning context, as opposed to “educational gamification,” focusing on formal learning. Based on a retrospective analysis, the chapter emphasizes a stakeholder-centric design approach that is vital for gaining approval and enhancing engagement toward gamified learning implementations. The chapter presents the STAGA implementation model, serving as a guiding tool for practitioners to execute instructional gamification in workplace learning initiatives. The model offers insights into the potential influence of diverse stakeholders and design choices, encouraging practitioners to select game elements that align closely with key stakeholder needs, ensuring a customized and pragmatic approach to gamified learning.

Accessibility removes barriers in the workplace, with game design processes being enhanced by better development tools, improved recruitment procedures, and an increased awareness of inclusive practices. This position paper describes accessibility within the field of digital games - with a special focus on game developers with disabilities - based on challenges and opportunities at workplaces described in a previously available summary of an industry roundtable in 2024. The aim is to find ways forward by raising awareness about issues of inclusion and accessibility based on views from people in the game industry and related research. The paper presents seven thematic concepts and related principles: 1) proactive, inclusive leadership; 2) better structure at workplaces; 3) adaptation with remote work; 4) normalise and facilitate adaptations; 5) inclusive employment processes; 6) sustainable advocacy; 7) accessible tools for inclusive game design. This paper also presents a tentative model where the needs of employees are the input while policy, methods, tools, advocacy and stakeholders provide support, and accountability provides control, which combined may lead to proactive inclusion. Our position is that while game accessibility has advanced significantly in the industry in the last decade, there is a need for more research about inclusion and accessibility in game design processes within game companies

This research category full paper investigates the pedagogical integration of Game Development Software Engineering lifecycle stages and Agile methodologies within a Game Lab framework, aiming to address known limitations in project management, lifecycle awareness, and transversal competencies in game development education. Drawing on a 19-week case study involving 20 undergraduate students, the study introduces the Agile Game Production Instruction framework. This instructional model embeds GDSE phases with Agile practices such as Scrum, Kanban, and Program Increment Planning. Students were organized into specialized sub-teams and operated within a scaled production structure simulating midscale industry environments. Data collected through open-ended questionnaires and analysed using hybrid thematic and computational clustering approaches revealed that the Agile Game Production Instruction framework fostered improved planning, team coordination, and perceived learning outcomes. However, introducing professional tools and scaled collaboration introduced motivational tensions, particularly regarding perceived constraints on creative autonomy. These findings suggest that Agile Game Production Instruction provides a viable and scalable model for aligning educational practices with industry demands, contingent on appropriate scaffolding and leadership development. Limitations include the small sample size, reliance on self-reported data, and exclusion of post-production phases.

The concept of embodiment is widely discussed in virtual reality (VR) game design research; however, its operationalisation remains inconsistent. This study investigates whether current definitions of embodiment in VR game research are overly vague or imprecise, potentially undermining their utility as an analytical and design framework. Analysing 35 empirical academic papers, we identified that only 11 directly defined embodiment. To examine the conceptual alignment of these definitions, we employed computational analysis techniques, including term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF), cosine similarity, and hierarchical clustering. Our findings indicate notable discrepancies in how embodiment is defined in research on VR game design, suggesting that several definitions lack consistency. The study contributes to the field by offering a data-driven analysis of embodiment in VR games, highlighting areas where greater definitional precision is needed to support robust research and design practices.