Playful Pedagogy: Student Perceptions of Academic Skill Development Through Board Games

This study examines how university students perceive a co-curricular board game café hosted by an Academic Skills Centre at a Canadian university, with a focus on participation patterns, perceived academic skill development, and interest in future game-based learning workshops. Drawing on paper-based surveys completed by 104 students across three events held in Winter and Fall 2025, the research addresses a gap in evidence about informal game spaces, which have been less studied than games embedded within formal coursework. The sample spanned a wide range of disciplines, with Biology and Life Sciences the largest group, and respondents were mostly early-career undergraduates.

Students generally described the café as a positive, low-stakes space for relaxation and peer interaction. Affective and motivational responses were strongest, with all respondents reporting happiness during gameplay and 76% agreeing that board games motivate them to learn. Perceived skill development was high for problem solving (84%), verbal communication (83%), creativity (79%), collaboration (78%), and critical thinking (76%). By contrast, writing skills were endorsed by only 25% of respondents, and perceived transfer to coursework was more modest, at 35%, with substantial neutral responses across several items.

The analysis relies entirely on self-reported perceptions, so it cannot establish that the café produced measurable learning gains. The sample was voluntary and likely skewed toward students already favorable toward games, and the study was confined to a single institution. Within these limits, the authors conclude that game cafés may offer an accessible co-curricular route to social integration, well-being, and transferable skill development, and they identify further research using observational or longitudinal designs as a priority.