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The instructional effects of customization features in child learning games have rarely been examined. This value‐added study addresses the existing gap with regards to user‐initiated cosmetic customization of environment elements (i.e., non‐avatar customization). Participants (N = 143; Mage = 9.41) studied a biological topic for about 20 min: either using the experimental version of a learning game with customization features, or from a control version without them. Null results were found as concerns between‐group differences: both for motivation‐related variables and learning outcome measures. These findings indicate that user‐initiated cosmetic customization features can be omitted by game designers, especially in settings where children are assigned specific instructional materials from which to study. Lay Description: What is already known: User‐initiated cosmetic customization (the term user‐initiated is afterwards left out of the text for brevity) refers to making choices about a game's visual or audio attributes without directly affecting the content of gameplay itself.Studies with non‐child learners showed that a sub‐type of cosmetic customization referred to as avatar customization (i.e., customization of learners' game characters) can be potentially beneficial for learning.The instructional efficiency of other sub‐types of cosmetic customization (i.e., customization of other elements, such as environmental ones) in game‐based learning for children is less clear. What this paper adds: Children (Grades 3–4) prefer a game with a cosmetically customizable environment over its non‐customizable counterpart: but only when they can contrast these two versions (not when they cannot contrast them).Children enjoy learning and learn equally from customizable and non‐customizable games. Implications for practice: Game‐based learning with cosmetic customization features of game's environment can be used for learning without risk of harming learning outcomes.However, when children's autonomy in choosing instructional materials is restricted, there is little need to invest in the cosmetic customization of a game's environment elements.Cosmetic customization of a game's environment elements may play a more notable role when children are able to choose learning materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates affective‐motivational, attention, and learning effects of unexplored emotional design manipulation: Contextual animation (animation of contextual elements) in multimedia learning game (MLGs) for children. Participants (N = 134; Mage = 9.25; Grades 3 and 4) learned either from an experimental version of the MLG with a high amount of contextual animation or from an identical MLG with no contextual animation (control). Children strongly preferred (χ2 = 87.04, p <.001) and found the experimental version more attractive (p <.001, d = −1.11). No significant differences in overall enjoyment and learning outcomes were found. Attention differences, measured by dwell times and fixation durations, were small and reached only borderline significance (p =.035; d = −0.39). The implication is that contextual animation in MLG for children increases such instructional materials' attractiveness without compromising cognitive processes needed for learning; however, it does not lead to their higher instructional efficiency. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Contextual animation is frequently used in multimedia learning games (MLGs) for children.Contextual animation is understood to be non‐expository picture motion, which can be added to already existing representational pictures that provide context for target instruction.It is not known whether or not contextual animation, which embellishes already existing representational contextual pictures, harms learning for children in the case of MLGs. What this paper adds: Children (Grades 3 and 4) strongly prefer the game with added contextual animation compared to the game without it.No between‐group differences in overall learning enjoyment and learning outcomes were found.Small attention‐allocation effects of borderline significance were detected. Implications for practice Adding contextual animation (i.e., added non‐expository picture motion) to multimedia learning games for children will increase the attractiveness of the materials and will not hamper learning. Investment into the production of costly contextual animation may be worthwhile in the case of instructional games intended for uncontrolled settings (e.g., at home or during leisure time). In formal contexts (e.g., school), it is less clear whether investment into contextual animation is needed, since children are extraneously motivated to learn and animation does not appear to enhance learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]