Gamifying learning through escape room design: Educational potential, puzzle typologies, and technology integration

This conceptual study explores the educational potential of escape room games through a typological analysis of puzzle design. By categorizing puzzles into mental, physical, and meta types, the research outlines how each modality supports distinct cognitive, social, and affective skills-ranging from logical reasoning and spatial manipulation to collaboration and metacognition. Drawing on gamification theory, constructivist learning principles, and cognitive development frameworks, the paper positions escape rooms as transdisciplinary tools with applications in classroom instruction, corporate training, and therapeutic settings. The integration of emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and IoT-based systems further expands the scope and scalability of escape rooms in hybrid and digital learning environments. Key design considerations-such as puzzle clarity, logical progression, accessibility, and fail-safe mechanisms-are discussed as foundational to both educational effectiveness and user experience. Ultimately, this study argues that escape rooms represent a compelling pedagogical paradigm for 21st-century education, supporting lifelong learning through immersive, game-based experiences.