Ulfia Rahmi, Sandi Rahmadika, Azrul
Purpose – Digital educational games (DEGs) offer strong potential to enhance students’ engagement, knowledge, and skills. However, DEGs must be designed to promote user acceptance. This study extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with challenge as an external factor. It examines the direct and mediating effects of challenge on the acceptance of DEGs. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed a quantitative design consisting of a DEG-based learning activity followed by a survey across four universities (N = 448; 72.3% female). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using the structural equation modeling via SmartPLS 3.0. Findings – Challenge is a significant predictor of students’ perceived usefulness, ease of use, behavioral intention, and actual usage of digital educational games. Perceived usefulness, ease of use, and behavioral intention mediate this relationship, and this highlights the role of challenge in fostering students’ acceptance, engagement, and continued use of DEGs. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to DEGs in the social humanities program within a single geographic region. Future research could expand by: (1) including participants from different academic disciplines, institutional types, and cultural contexts, (2) increasing the sample size and geographic coverage, (3) incorporating perspectives beyond students (e.g. educators or designers), and (4) examining challenge as an external variable in non-game instructional contexts. Practical implications – This study highlights that an optimal balance of challenge is essential for maintaining motivation and promoting continued use. The extended TAM model provides a framework for educators and developers to design DEGs that enhance engagement, usability, and learning outcomes. Originality/value – This study extends the TAM by integrating challenge as an external variable, and offers insights into how balanced game design supports the acceptance and adoption of DEGs in higher education. © 2026 Emerald Publishing Limited
Department of Educational Technology, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia; Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia; Universitas Islam Negeri Imam Bonjol Padang, Padang, Indonesia
