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Significant resources have been allocated to the development of training programmes designed to enhance executive functions. Recently, digital games have emerged as a promising tool for this purpose. However, the impact of adaptive games, which adjust game difficulty based on the player's performance, on trained and untrained executive functions (i.e., near and far transfer) remains to be investigated. In the present study, 59 young adults participated in an executive function game designed to improve shifting abilities for a total duration of 120 min, distributed over four consecutive days. The differential effects of both an adaptive and a non-adaptive game version on shifting (i.e., near transfer), and updating and inhibition (i.e., far transfer) were examined. The findings indicated that while near and far transfer effects were identified, there were no discernible variations in training outcomes between the two game versions. The present study thus contributes to the expansion of the evidence base in the field of executive function games. • No differential effects between adaptive and non-adaptive versions of a shifting game • Adaptivity increases the challenge of the game. • Adaptive and non-adaptive versions enhance shifting performance (i.e., near transfer). • Adaptive and non-adaptive versions enhance working memory and inhibition performance (i.e., far transfer). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Custom built digital game increased executive function (shifting) in adolescents. • Effects were augmented through "emotional design" in a "hot" version of the game. • "Hot" version was particularly effective for the older participants (14 and 15). • "Hot" version also effective for participants with higher prior EF. Abstract Executive function (EF), critical for many developmental outcomes, emerge in childhood and continue developing into early adulthood (Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006). During adolescence there are important developments in Hot EF , which involves using EF in emotionally salient contexts (Zelazo & Carlson, 2012). The current study used an emotional design approach (Um et al., 2012) to study hot EF in adolescents playing a digital game designed to train the EF subskill of shifting. Participants (N = 233; aged 12–16, M = 13.8, SD = 1.1) played one of two version of the game: hot (with emotional design), or cool (with more emotionally neutral design). There was a main effect of condition, with higher posttest scores on shifting in the hot condition. Condition significantly interacted with age: older adolescents had better outcomes in the hot condition than in the cool condition. A three-way interaction between age, prior EF and condition was found, indicating that the age by condition interaction was affected by prior EF. These results indicate that the higher emotional arousal in the hot condition is more effective for enhancing EF skills, particularly for older adolescents, and argue for developing learning and training games that account for developmental changes such as the growth of hot EF in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the affective quality of specific design features of game characters? The Integrative Model of Emotion in Game-based Learning (EmoGBL) describes common mechanisms of how emotion and learning processes interact to foster specific learning outcomes. In the present paper, we asked how color, shape, expression, and dimensionality of game characters induce emotions in digital games for learning. We investigated learners' perception of the affective quality of these four different visual design features for adults and adolescents using a forced choice paradigm (studies 1–3), as well as the PANAS-X and qualitative measures (study 4). Participants were shown a series of game characters and were asked to report their emotional response. Results show the relative contribution of the four visual attributes on players' perception of affective quality, with the visual design features of expression and dimensionality having the strongest effect, color a medium-sized effect, and shape a small to medium-sized effect. • The affective quality of design features of characters for learning games was investigated. • Immersion (Immersive 3D vs. Desktop 2D) had a large effect on affective arousal. • Expression (sad v. neutral v. happy) had a large effect on affective arousal. • Color (cold v. warm) had a medium-sized effect on affective arousal. • Shape (square v. round) had a small to medium-sized effect on affective arousal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]