Escape games are very popular at the moment, but do they really motivate distance learning students? Or is this just a biased perception? A scientific study has just provided a long-awaited answer.

In a previous article, I recommended the book Learning by Playing. It asked some interesting questions about games. And it somewhat demystified the 'magic' aspect too often attributed to games when it comes to learning.

Do escape games motivate students? - Training 3.0

The conclusion of this book was that not all games promote learning. Some even hinder the acquisition of new knowledge. Others offer riddles that don't correspond to the subject being taught (for example, offering a maths riddle in a game devoted to history or English grammar. Unfortunately, these are not exceptions).

What about escape games?

This study on escape games was published by Padilla Piernas, JM Parra Merono and Flores Asenjo earlier this year in the Ibero-American Journal of Distance Education.

The authors begin by reviewing the scientific literature on the subject.

They then look at the stages involved in designing and producing an escape game.

The AIDA method

The AIDA method originated in marketing. Its aim is to measure consumer responses to a product or service. Its use in education is relatively recent.

The authors used it both to ensure that the escape game platform achieved its objectives and to evaluate students' responses to the escape games.

AIDA is an acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.

For a marketer, the first step is to capture the potential consumer's attention, using attractive images, shimmering colours and so on. But maintaining attention is not enough to encourage the act of buying. You also need to provoke and maintain the prospect's interest so that they want to appropriate the object or service on offer. Finally, you need to trigger action, i.e. the act of buying.

How do escape games motivate students using this method?

The four stages of the AIDA method are set out below:

1 Capture interest with an attractive story

We are all sensitive to storytelling. We look forward to the next episode in the series, wondering who the killer is, where the diamond is hidden and so on. A good story allows students to immerse themselves in the game's environment. Add to that pleasant images and unexpected sound effects, and you have an almost infallible recipe for capturing attention. However, don't forget to limit the time for each activity, and to keep the pace so as not to bore your audience.

2 Establishing clear ground rules

Your students need to understand :

• how your platform works
• the rewards they can obtain when they pass a test
• the way points are counted (added or subtracted according to events)
• how to succeed and achieve the objective of the game

Without this understanding, they are likely to lose motivation and give up the game.

3 Setting the difficulty levels

This is one of the most difficult stages in creating an escape game. It is also one of the most difficult stages in the creation of any training course. For more information, see Gilly Salmon modelwhich I use alongside the method ABC Learning Design. An activity that is too easy or too difficult can easily result in demotivation. One of the most difficult tasks is to maintain a balance between the educational objectives of a test and its attractiveness. Ideally, it should be linked to the subject being studied. Allowing several attempts and adding clues along the way are intelligent ways of helping the learner to learn.

4 Define the rewards for success

Students need to know from the outset what type of rewards they are going to receive (badges, points, marker board, certificate, etc.) and, above all, what impact passing these tests will have on their assessment (termly, annual, etc.).

Methodology of the study on Do escape games motivate students?

The study methodology is divided into two main phases:

• The construction of an escape game in line with the principles of the AIDA method and direct observation of a group of students as they interact with the escape game.
• Translation of the escape game into Castilian and administration to students on the virtual campus of the Catholic University of Murcia and a control group; collection of data on AIDA

First phase of the study: construction and observation

For the first phase of the study, the authors designed and produced an escape game platform using Genially. This first game in French was offered to a group of around twenty international relations students at the University of Avignon, during the 2022-2023 academic year.

The authors carried out direct observation of how these students interacted with the escape game. The aim was to :

• see how the students worked together to solve the riddles
• gather their feedback to improve the learning experience
• list successful puzzles
• estimate the time needed to complete the tests
• measure the relevance of group work in achieving the objectives of the game

The students also took part in self-assessment activities (a principle that should feature in many more training or educational initiatives. Ndla). The authors asked them to reflect on their own learning and performance after the game.

Second stage of the study: fine-tuning the platform and collecting responses

The authors took all these elements into account to improve the escape game platform, built with Genially. They translated it and had it tested by marketing and business students from the Catholic University of Murcia. A control group was playing the game at the same time.

The course included visits to five countries (Japan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Brazil and Mexico). For each country, students had to solve situations relating to cultural differences between countries. At the end of the game, students had to answer a Google quiz in English or Spanish.

A detailed statistical analysis of the results

It's been a long time since I took a statistics course. So I'll spare you the technical side (you can consult the results tables in the article in Spanish to which I've provided the link below.

What do the questionnaire results tell us?

Overall results were excellent:

• in all participants, attention, interest, desire and action were high (an average of over 4/5 with minimum standard deviations)
• the age difference between the groups is not statistically significant (for those interested, a chi-square of 6.563 with 4 degrees of freedom and a significance of 0.161)
• on the other hand, gender shows significant differences: women show an average attention span of 53.80, while that of men is 41.10
• the type of training (online or face-to-face) does not have a significant impact either

L’a qualitative study conducted with the control group shows that :

• the majority managed to find the five riddles needed to open the questionnaire
• there was enough time to complete the various activities
• all the participants emphasised the advantage of working in groups to solve the various puzzles

Do escape games motivate students? Yes, definitely, yes!

The conclusions of this survey are that, yes, escape games motivate students to learn online. They believe that this type of tool makes e-learning more attractive and therefore more motivating.

The study also shows that - contrary to popular belief - escape games don't just appeal to young people, with high rates for all ages and all dimensions of the AIDA method.

The game design and production phase - as well as the beta test phase - are essential to meet the needs of learners. - are essential to meet learners' needs.

This study also shows that the AIDA method can be used to measure online student applications. Under these conditions, Yes, escape games really motivate learners.

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Padilla Piernas, JM, Parra Meroño, MC and Flores Asenjo, MP (2024). Virtual Escape Rooms: a gamification tool to boost motivation in distance learning. Virtual Escape Rooms: a gamification tool to boost motivation in distance learning. 
RIED-Journal ibéro-américain d’enseignement à distance, 27 (1), 61-85. 
Full article (in Spanish).

You can also consult The computer graphic (in English).

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