Immersive serious games and educational escape rooms in adult education: A virtual reality approach to decision-making in critical situations
1 Department of Social Theology and Religious Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
2 Department of Greek Philology, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece.
3 Department of Preschool Education, University of Crete, Greece.
4 Mathematics and Engineering Science Sector, Hellenic Army Academy, Vari, Greece.
Review
Open Access Research Journal of Science and Technology, 2026, 16(02), 170-181.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjst.2026.16.2.0044
Publication history:
Received on 02 March 2026; revised on 12 April 2026; accepted on 15 April 2026
Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of immersive serious games, educational escape rooms, and virtual reality (VR) as an innovative approach in adult education. It builds on previous studies and explores the potential of immersive and game-based environments to increase learner engagement, enhance critical thinking, and develop decision-making skills. Furthermore, this paper introduces a theoretical model of a virtual reality-based educational escape room, designed to simulate stressful situations and facilitate experiential learning. The combination of immersion, interactivity, and narrative aims to bring the model closer to real-world practice following theoretical instruction. Furthermore, the article draws attention to the pedagogical potential of the immersive environment and suggests a starting point for further academic and practical work.
Keywords:
Immersive serious games; Educational escape rooms; Adult education; Virtual reality; Decision-making; Critical situations; Experiential learning; Game-based learning
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0