In contemporary European higher education, student disengagement and declining attendance in traditional lecture-based courses have become persistent challenges. Enrolment in a course does not necessarily translate into active participation in classroom, particularly when students perceive limited relevance or engagement in the learning process (Freeman et al., 2014). This phenomenon is closely related to the predominance of teacher-centred methodologies, in which students often assume a passive role (Bonwell & Eison, 1991). In response to these limitations, active learning approaches have been increasingly promoted as effective strategies to foster motivation, participation, and meaningful learning (Prince, 2004), aligning with European educational priorities that emphasise competence-based learning, intercultural education, and civic engagement.

Within this pedagogical shift, board games emerge as innovative educational tools capable of promoting key competences such as collaboration, inclusion, negotiation, creativity, and emotional regulation (Kuo et al., 2023; Zagal et al., 2006). However, not all board games are inherently pedagogical. In higher education contexts, their educational potential depends on intentional adaptation and integration into instructional design, particularly when collaborative dynamics are prioritised (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). From this perspective, board games can contribute not only to cognitive learning but also to the development of social and intercultural competences, which are central to European frameworks for lifelong learning and democratic citizenship.

The theoretical foundations of this study are also informed by leisure pedagogy, which conceptualises leisure as a meaningful experiential space that allows individuals to transcend routine and engage in personally and socially significant activities (Stebbins, 2008). Participation in leisure activities has been associated with enhanced well-being and quality of life (Kleiber, et al., 2011; Maebara & Yamada, 2025). Nevertheless, not all leisure activities possess pedagogical value. From an educational perspective, the selected tools must be deliberately chosen to address specific needs, gaps, and areas for improvement among learners (Cès et al., 2024; Gee, 2003; Mauri-Medrano et al., 2024). This highlights the importance of intentional pedagogical design in game-based learning experiences.

In addition, empirical research has further demonstrated the educational potential of board games in learning contexts. Findings from the Technological Institute for Child and Leisure Products (AIJU, 2019) indicate that the increasing presence of digital devices in classrooms reduces the time devoted to play-based activities and may constrain opportunities for meaningful learning. At the same time, learners show a clear preference for traditional board games, particularly those adaptable to educational settings and conducive to collaborative interaction with peers and adults. These results reinforce the relevance of analogue, cooperative games as pedagogical resources in formal education.

Game-based learning has been widely examined, particularly in childhood education (Zosh et al., 2018), but its potential in higher education remains comparatively underexplored. Games can be conceptualised as social laboratories in which participants develop attitudes, acquire knowledge, internalise rules, and practise real-life situations within safe and structured environments (Klabbers, 2018). Empirical evidence suggests that games constitute effective pedagogical tools across different age groups and can be implemented in diverse educational contexts, including formal and non-formal learning environments (Wouters et al., 2017; Whitton, 2018). This perspective resonates with European educational policies that advocate for the integration of formal, non-formal, and informal learning to promote social inclusion and intercultural dialogue.

Therefore, the present study analyses the pedagogical potential of collaborative board games as innovative tools for enhancing student engagement, intercultural learning, and the development of social and emotional competences in higher education. By combining creative pedagogy, leisure pedagogy, and game-based learning, the research seeks to contribute to current debates on educational innovation and to provide evidence-based insights into the role of collaborative games in transforming university teaching practices within the European educational landscape.

This study adopts a qualitative and participatory research design aimed at exploring the educational potential of collaborative board games in intercultural higher education contexts. The research was developed through four interconnected phases grounded in the theoretical perspectives of creative pedagogy, leisure pedagogy, and game-based learning. First, a review of academic literature on creative pedagogy, leisure pedagogy, and cooperative games was conducted in order to establish criteria for selecting ludic dynamics oriented towards cultural diversity, social norms, and democratic values. This selection process was carried out in collaboration with external experts and stakeholders, including Ekilicua, a company specialising in educational toys, the Verkami network of education professionals, and several third-sector organisations. This interdisciplinary collaboration ensured the pedagogical relevance and social applicability of the selected games. The educational intervention was implemented in the course Intercultural Pedagogy within the Pedagogy Degree programme at the University of Valencia. The participants were 20 third-year undergraduate students aged between 20 and 28 years. A series of two-hour sessions was organised in cooperation with civil society organisations. In the first session, the organisation Youth and Development introduced the concept of the “hate pyramid” and facilitated a reflective discussion on the role of civil society in preventing discrimination and promoting social cohesion. In the second session, the YMCA organisation, a neighbourhood characterised by high cultural diversity, implemented an adapted version of the “Solidarity Goose Game”. This cooperative board game was redesigned to address challenges related to debunking myths, questioning stereotypes, and promoting social justice. Next, “Don Bosco association” presented its work in higher education with a focus on hate prevention. During this phase, the competitive board game Vyrus was transformed into a cooperative educational tool. University students actively participated in the adaptation process, modifying the original game mechanics to combat hate speech and promote intercultural understanding. The adapted game included cards representing vulnerable groups, messages of care, and examples of hate discourse, and the resulting prototype was tested in a classroom session with the university participants. Next, the research was extended to a broader educational community. This phase was conducted in collaboration with the Joan Regla Library, which provided a space for workshops and play-based activities. At the end of the pilot phase with university students the Gamex scale (Parra-González et al., 2021) was administered to evaluate the learning experience. This instrument measures dimensions such as enjoyment, abstraction, creative thinking, activation, absence of negative effects, and dominance.

Overall, students obtained high scores in enjoyment, emotional activation, and the absence of negative feelings, whereas lower scores were observed in other dimensions. These findings can be interpreted positively, as the board game addressed complex real-life social situations that did not require competitive dominance or creative problem-solving, but rather critical reflection and social awareness. This suggests that, through careful pedagogical planning and the selection of appropriate collaborative games, educators can align specific games with targeted educational objectives and values. Regarding their learning experience, students reported that the use of board games represented a novel and creative approach to engaging with course content. They also noted that game-based methodologies are rarely used in university classrooms, even within teacher education programmes where leisure pedagogy is addressed, and highlighted the limited opportunities to apply such tools in practice. This study is particularly relevant for educational networking, as it demonstrates the need for innovative tools to support intercultural learning across formal and non-formal educational contexts. It also emphasises the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration among universities, civil society organisations, and community actors (Akkerman & Bakker, 2019). In a context where boredom and demotivation increasingly affect students (Pekrun et al., 2017; Tze et al., 2016; Wijnand et al., 2020), active methodologies offer promising alternatives aligned with contemporary educational demands (Redecker, 2017; Bond et al., 2020). Board games, in particular, emerge as powerful pedagogical tools that connect knowledge, educational practice, and social transformation, supporting the broader goal of education: the formation not only of competent professionals but also of responsible and engaged citizens (Boeren, 2019).

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