Exploring the Fusion of Mixed Reality and Digital Game-Based Learning: The Case of Puzzle Box Games for Education

The traditional offline teaching landscape has faced unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the emergence of online teaching as a novel educational trend. However, online teaching has certain limitations. It lacks robust interaction between teachers and students, making it challenging for teachers to evaluate students' real-time progress in learning. Moreover, online classrooms often suffer from low engagement, causing students to easily lose focus, resulting in reduced student autonomy and unsatisfactory learning outcomes. In recent years, various studies have proposed game-based learning approaches that integrate instructional content and knowledge. These methods effectively reshape the conventional "teacher-led, passive learning" model and address the issue of limited student participation in the classroom. This approach proves advantageous in fostering students' diverse and comprehensive qualities. To accomplish this objective, the study aims to investigate the fusion of mixed reality technology and digital game-based learning, drawing inspiration from the concept of a puzzle box. The design of virtual digital puzzles revolves around user-centered human-computer interaction, encompassing elements such as user experience satisfaction, interface design for mixed reality technology, and the presentation format in which puzzles serve as the primary medium. The study has demonstrated that students generally exhibit motivation to embrace the utilization of mixed reality puzzle box games for educational purposes. This motivation arises from the allure of gaming elements and the ease of interaction with technology, which contributes to an enhanced learning experience.