Understanding the Impact of a Historical Video Game about Miguel Grau on Substantive Knowledge

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of an educational video game on university students’ substantive historical knowledge, focusing on the life of Miguel Grau. Thirty students were randomly assigned to a control group, which engaged with either a traditional text-based lesson or an experimental group, which played a video game designed to teach the same content. Their engagement, enjoyment and interest were measured after both stimuli. The results revealed significant improvements in substantive historical knowledge for both groups, with no notable differences between them. However, the video game group reported higher levels of enjoyment. Mediation analysis indicated that interest plays a significant role in mediating the relationship between engagement and enjoyment. These findings suggest that educational video games may offer greater enjoyment than instructional methods and can therefore increase motivation in learning environments.