When the brain comes into play: Neurofunctional correlates of emotions and reward in game-based learning

Accumulating evidence identifies emotions as drivers of effective learning. In parallel, game-based learning was found to emotionally engage learners, allegedly harnessing the fundamental tie between emotions and cognition. Questioning further whether and how game-based learning elicit emotional processes, the current fMRI study examined the neurofunctional correlates of game-based learning by directly comparing a game-based and a non-game-based version of a digital learning task. We evaluated neurofunctional activation patterns within a comprehensive set of brain areas involved in emotional and reward processes (e.g. amygdala or ventral tegmental area) when participants received feedback. With only a few exceptions, decoding of these brain areas’ activation patterns indicated predominantly stronger relative activation in the game-based task version. As such, our results substantiate on a neurofunctional level that game-based learning leads to an invigoration of learning processes through processes of reward and emotional engagement.