Eduardo Nunes: “Games have great potential — to acquire knowledge and deepen curiosity”

“Games are the most powerful form of interactivity and, when properly applied, they become the most complete learning process.”

Why can games be such an important tool in the learning process?

It is well established that learning is enhanced through active learning - by doing, building, and deconstructing. But learning also emerges from the development of skills, from exposure, observation, and reflection, from the freedom given to students to find their own paths of self-determination - and from the interplay between all these elements. The level of immersion achieved by players reaches depths that are impossible in any other learning context. Games are, without a doubt, the most powerful interactive process available and, when properly applied to education, they become the most complete learning method.

Do they have the potential to improve the current learning paradigm?

For many students, learning that is still largely based on textbooks and other passive processes is highly ineffective, demotivating, and disconnected from their interests. Some improvements can already be seen in more practical areas, through digital labs. However, gamified digital processes and game-based systems are far more transversal, scalable, and cost-effective. At the same time, specific mechanisms - such as narrative, exploration, free interaction, and simulation - enable a focus on autonomous skills development that no other system can match.

“Without the Master’s [in Management] and the contact with professors who gave me so much, I would not be where I am today.”

You hold a Master’s in Management from Católica Porto Business School. Why did you choose Católica?

I was looking for a programme that matched my interests, which have always been broad and interdisciplinary, and that was taught in a high-quality school with strong links to the business ecosystem.

What was your experience like during the Master’s?

It was an intense learning experience. There was a significant cognitive leap, a major development in my ability to connect different topics and in my strategic thinking across multiple areas of management. I can say with certainty that, without the Master’s and without the professors who contributed so much to my development, I would not be where I am today.

When did your interest in gamification begin?

I remember playing early strategy games like Age of Empires and Civilization and realizing how much faster I learned through gameplay than through a school textbook.
The idea of using game mechanics, systems, and dynamics in learning contexts therefore emerged naturally. I didn’t initially recognize it as gamification. I simply did it because it felt more engaging. It was through a research project on the topic that I began to develop these ideas more formally. I turned interest into knowledge, and today I teach gamification to undergraduate and master’s students.

You were part of the CPBS multidisciplinary team behind “Clique Financeiro,” winner of the “Economia para Todos” competition. What was the design process like?

The challenge was simple: to support the learning of financial literacy topics (personal budgeting, saving, investment, financing, and consumption) through a game. It might be tempting to design a game that addresses each topic in isolation. But we know that nothing is more valuable than experimentation, trial (even if simulated within the game), and impact analysis. That is why we focused on simulating real-life contexts and gamifying them, encouraging changes in mental processes as players apply what they learn to their daily lives.

What is the current stage of gamification in Portugal?

It is still at a stage of conceptual immaturity, with mixed and often inadequate results. Gamification is closely connected to areas such as UX, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and education sciences. Through its three main dimensions - rules, mechanics/dynamics, and aesthetics - it can produce unexpected outcomes. Its design and development require extensive analysis and should be treated as an evolving, dynamic process, continuously adapted to users’ needs at each stage of their experience.

Your research led to the creation of a company focused on educational games and digital resources.

Part of my research focuses on developing a clear and robust framework for applying games in educational contexts. In that process, prototyping seemed to be the only way to identify concrete impacts in detail. That is how Kendir Studios emerged.

What role would you like to play in the evolution of education?

I would like to make a meaningful difference in education. I believe it is essential to reflect on and redesign the education system. Failing to do so means perpetuating the problems students continue to face, both in terms of motivation and outcomes. I would like to be part of that progress.

Is there a game you would particularly recommend?

OpenTTD, a free game for anyone interested in learning about management; a true classic. I also recommend exploring new games in areas of personal interest - whether mathematics, languages, engineering, management, and more. It’s a way to gain a new perspective on the potential of games in education, as well as to acquire knowledge and deepen curiosity.