Polish Research

Introduction – Polish Research Page

This research presents the Polish perspective within the broader GAME CHANGE framework, focusing on the use of board games, gamification, and game-based learning as tools for youth engagement, inclusion, and skills development. The study explores how playful learning methods are currently applied in Poland across non-formal education, youth work, and selected formal education settings, and how young people and educators perceive their educational value.

In Poland, gamification is most commonly implemented through Erasmus+ projects, NGO initiatives, youth clubs, and informal school practices, rather than as a structured element of national curricula. Despite this, educators and youth workers increasingly recognize game-based approaches as effective in enhancing motivation, cooperation, critical thinking, digital literacy, and civic competences. Young people, in particular, demonstrate higher engagement with interactive and participatory learning methods compared to traditional teaching models.

The Polish research combines quantitative data from a youth survey and qualitative insights from in-depth interviews with educators and youth workers. This mixed-method approach allows for a comprehensive understanding of both user needs and practical challenges. The findings highlight strong interest among young people in educational games addressing mental health, civic participation, and social skills, while also identifying barriers such as lack of time, complex rules, limited resources, and insufficient systemic support.

By documenting current practices, needs, and trends, this research contributes valuable evidence for the development of accessible, inclusive, and engaging educational board games tailored to the Polish context. It also underlines the importance of training, ready-to-use tools, and repositories of good practices to support wider and more sustainable use of gamification in youth work and education in Poland.

Scientific research

In Poland, gamification and game-based learning are mainly used in non-formal education, Erasmus+ projects, and non-governmental initiatives, as well as informally in schools, through board games, educational applications, and interactive tasks, which promotes youth motivation, cooperation, and the development of digital and civic competences. Gamification supports inclusion, digital competence, and youth motivation by offering interactive, engaging, and tailored educational tools that develop cooperation, critical thinking, and digital literacy. Young people respond to such methods with greater engagement than to traditional teaching, which directly affects their educational outcomes. The main barriers include the lack of formal integration into the education system and the limited competence of teachers in modern teaching methods.

The main barriers include the lack of formal integration into the education system and the limited competence of teachers in modern teaching methods.

An example of promoting game-based learning in Poland are the activities carried out as part of the "EUnvironmental emergency in simple words" project by the Association Reflections on Europe, which included the creation of comics, board games made from recycled materials and an educational app.

Future trends in Poland include the growing combination of educational games with digital tools, online platforms, and Erasmus+ projects, with a greater emphasis on non-formal education, social and digital skills, and environmental and civic issues.

In Poland, gamification is not formally included in curricula, but digital education strategies create space for the use of modern teaching methods and digital tools, including gamification mechanisms. Implementation takes place mainly locally or as part of non-formal projects – primary and secondary schools use points, rankings, and game-inspired tasks, while higher education institutions are developing case studies analyzing the teaching effects of such solutions. Gamification is viewed positively by educators and institutions as it increases student motivation and engagement, supports interactive learning, and develops digital and social skills. The main barriers include a lack of systemic support, limited resources, and insufficient teacher training, while the growing activity of academics and teachers and strategies for the digital transformation of education create potential for the further development of gamification and its wider application in the Polish education system.

Valuable sources documenting the above observations include a scientific article discussing gamification and playification in remote education, an article dealing with research on student motivation in the context of gamification of academic courses, and a draft resolution on the digital transformation policy for education.

Quantitative research

A quantitative survey conducted among 100 young people aged 13–30, with a predominance of respondents aged 16–21 (76%), provided an overview of board game use and educational preferences among young people in Poland. More than half of the participants live in cities, and a significant proportion come from rural areas and small towns (48%), which suggests the need to take into account different local conditions when designing educational tools. Most of the respondents (57%) actively participate in the activities of non-governmental organizations, youth clubs, or civic initiatives, which indicates the potential for using board games in non-formal education. Only 2% of respondents declared disabilities or special needs, including the need for large text and limitations resulting from chronic illnesses.

An analysis of the frequency of playing shows that most young people play rarely (38%) or once a month (34%), mainly at home (56%), although a significant percentage use schools, non-governmental organizations, or online platforms. Preferences concern the number of players – most often 3-4 people (53%) – and the duration of the game, with a predominance of shorter games lasting 20-60 minutes (61%). The most popular games are both classic games such as Monopoly, Ludo, Uno, Checkers, Chess, and Scrabble, as well as strategy and party games.

Respondents show great interest in elements of competition (71%), strategy (59%), and integration (36%). Respondents are eager to engage in negotiations and group decision-making, prefer clearly defined roles, missions, mini-challenges, and visible progress in the game, and value short, simple, and intuitive rules and visual or short video instructions.

Young people are particularly interested in games related to mental health and well-being, civic participation, and relations with local institutions. Respondents indicate that they want to develop skills such as problem solving, creativity, and communication through games. The most common barriers to participation in games are lack of time (49%), complicated rules (14%), and social anxiety (12%). Young people prefer character cards with large icons and short text, as well as short video instructions instead of long and complicated instructions. These results indicate a need to create educational board games that are short, modular, intuitive, engaging, and accessible to different groups of young people, while also developing social, digital, and civic skills.

Qualitative research

An analysis of five in-depth interviews with educators and youth workers in Poland provides detailed data on how board games and gamification mechanisms are used in youth work, as well as on systemic challenges and needs.

Interview 1 – Educator in a secondary school

The respondent works with students aged 15–19, including those with diverse educational needs. They indicate that gamification in formal education plays a complementary role and is most often used in thematic projects, formative lessons, and civic education classes. In practice, they use short simulation games, board games with simple rules, and competitive team tasks that increase concentration and activate less engaged students. Students respond particularly positively to games with clearly defined goals, short rounds, visible progress, and scoring elements. The respondent emphasizes that such mechanics reduce social anxiety, allowing students with higher stress levels or low self-confidence to actively participate in class. In order to adapt to the needs of different students, the educator uses role differentiation, the option to choose the difficulty level of tasks, and visual materials, which promotes the inclusion of people with different competencies and learning styles.

Interview 2 – Trainer in a non-governmental organization

The respondent uses gamification as a regular part of his work with young people aged 14–25. His practice is dominated by board games and decision-making simulations on social and civic topics, such as group decision-making, conflict resolution, social integration, and responsibility for joint projects. The games are used both in the form of team competition and cooperation, and participants can choose their level of involvement in tasks or roles, which allows the activity to be tailored to individual needs. Respondent shortens the playing time, simplifies the rules, and organizes work in small teams, while the introduction of visual materials and instructions in the form of short QR videos increases participants' understanding and comfort. Games also help to discuss difficult topics, such as mental health, social issues, or digital rights, and support integration and the development of responsibility for the learning process. He believes that systemic deficiencies include a lack of training, limited availability of tool repositories, and a lack of exchange of good practices among NGOs.

Interview 3 – Youth worker working with disadvantaged young people

The respondent works in a youth center with young people at risk of social or educational exclusion. Board games are one of the few tools that effectively engage young people without the pressure of evaluation. The structure of the games allows for role-playing and group cooperation, reduces social anxiety, promotes peer relationships, and gives a sense of agency. Short, modular games with clearly defined tasks and roles are particularly effective, e.g., strategic board games with missions or mini-decision challenges that require cooperation. Barriers include a lack of ready-made tools, limited time, and insufficient space. The respondent emphasizes that games must be simple and intuitive in order to be used in conditions of limited resources and diverse groups.

Interview 4 – Youth program coordinator at an NGO

The respondent points out that gamification is seen as an innovative method, but it still functions mainly on a project basis and as a supplement to traditional methods. Projects financed by European funds are the main source of introducing new mechanics, e.g., educational games in civic or environmental programs. The lack of a permanent place for gamification in local strategies limits its systemic use. The respondent emphasizes that games and gamification mechanisms have great potential for developing social, civic, and soft skills, but their effectiveness depends on the availability of ready-made tools, training for educators, and practical implementation materials.

Interview 5 – Youth worker and local advisor

The respondent combines direct work with young people with advising local governments. He emphasizes that gamification could become more widespread in education and youth work if certified tools were developed, practical training for educators was provided, and the tools were tested in practice. He points out that international cooperation and projects such as GAMECHANGE enable the implementation of best practices. According to the respondent, games and gamification mechanisms support the development of soft skills, including teamwork, leadership, empathy, critical thinking, and creativity, and increase the motivation and involvement of young people in social and civic activities.

Overall, the interviews show that board games and gamification mechanisms in Poland increase concentration, activate young people, support cooperation and integration, enable safe decision-making, and develop social and civic competences. Effectiveness depends on simple rules, clearly defined goals, short rounds, visible progress, and adaptation to the needs of different groups. The main barriers include a lack of ready-made tools, limited time for educators, and a lack of systemic support, which highlights the need to develop practical materials, training, and repositories of good practices in Poland.

Conclusion – Polish Research

The Polish research highlights the strong potential of board games and gamification as effective tools for youth engagement, inclusion, and competence development. Across non-formal education, NGO initiatives, and selected educational settings, game-based approaches are shown to significantly increase motivation, participation, and cooperation among young people, while supporting the development of social, civic, digital, and emotional skills.

Both quantitative and qualitative findings confirm that young people in Poland respond positively to short, intuitive, and interactive games with clear goals, visible progress, and opportunities for teamwork and decision-making. At the same time, educators and youth workers emphasize that gamification creates a safe and inclusive learning environment, particularly beneficial for young people facing social anxiety, exclusion, or low self-confidence.

However, the research also reveals key challenges, including the lack of systemic integration, limited access to ready-made tools, time constraints, and insufficient training for educators. Despite these barriers, growing interest from youth workers, NGOs, and academic communities—along with the support of European initiatives such as Erasmus+—creates favorable conditions for further development.

Overall, the Polish research underlines the need to invest in practical, accessible, and adaptable educational games, accompanied by training and repositories of good practices. Strengthening these areas can support the wider and more sustainable use of gamification in youth work and education, contributing to empowered, engaged, and socially active young people in Poland