Learning Mathematics Through Play: Design and Development of a Serious Game for Undergraduate Students

Learning mathematics requires learners to have a good understanding of the concepts and problem-solving skills. However, mathematics is often associated with complexity and rarely perceived as connected to real-world applications. Educational games have the potential to make learning more enjoyable, motivating learners by offering challenges and control over their learning experience. Despite the growing research on mathematical games, existing educational games dominantly target primary and secondary levels, with limited focus on undergraduate calculus topics such as differentiation and integration. Visualizing mathematical concepts such as differentiation and integration through real-life scenarios and providing space for learners to learn while playing can be a suitable practice to persuade learners to learn mathematics. The aim of this study is to design and develop a game prototype that covers the topic of differentiation and integration. Method of instructional design: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) is used to develop the game prototype, focusing on the systematic construction and expert validation. The serious game called CalcQuest Adventure was developed and distributed to eight experts to evaluate its suitability as a tool for learning the mathematical concepts of differentiation and integration. A verified instrument called the Suitability Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ) is adapted in the study to evaluate CalcQuest Adventure. The result shows that the overall mean score is 3.85, which indicates positive feedback from experts. The findings contribute to the practical design insights for educators and developers by illustrating how real-life problems can be visualized and embedded into serious games for undergraduate calculus learning.

@article{Razak2026,
  title     = {Learning Mathematics Through Play: Design and Development of a Serious Game for Undergraduate Students},
  journal   = {International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications},
  volume    = {17},
  number    = {6},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {The Science and Information Organization},
  author    = {Nur Nabilah Abdul Razak and Nur Nabila Farhana Mohd Noh and Nur Dayana Huda Mohd Zol Azhari and Ratna Zuarni Ramli and Ahmed M S Elaklouk and Azyan Yusra Kapi},
  doi       = {10.14569/IJACSA.2026.0170624},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2026.0170624}
}