ViroGame: a serious game for medical virology education - a feedback report

Medical virology requires students to master complex concepts in a limited timeframe, yet traditional lectures often struggle to sustain engagement and ensure long-term retention. Serious games have emerged as promising tools to promote active learning. Building on the success of BacteriaGame, ViroGame was developed to reinforce virology knowledge through gamification. This study evaluated its effectiveness in enhancing student engagement, knowledge mobilization, and supervisor-perceived feasibility for curricular integration.

A total of 318 learners participated in ViroGame sessions during the 2023-2024 academic year. Of these, 266 students/residents completed a structured questionnaire assessing with likert scale [1-5] gameplay fluidity, knowledge consolidation, perceived difficulty and potential integration with BacteriaGame. Nine supervisors also provided evaluations on rule clarity, session management and educational value. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests and Chi-squared tests, with qualitative feedback examined thematically.

Residents rated gameplay fluidity significantly higher than students (4.4/5 vs. 4.1/5; p = 0.039). Both groups reported high knowledge mobilization scores (students 4.5/5; residents 4.3/5; p = 0.378). Nearly half perceived some content as exceeding expected knowledge, despite alignment with national standards (47.4% vs. 41.8%; p = 0.482). A greater proportion of students than residents reported difficulties with virological concepts (78.9% vs. 60.3%; p = 0.021), particularly regarding diagnostic methods and viral structures. Supervisors rated the game positively, endorsing its use primarily as a revision tool.

ViroGame is a well-received, effective and engaging tool for teaching medical virology. It promotes active learning, collaboration and knowledge retention while addressing the inherent complexity of virology. Further controlled studies are planned to evaluate its long-term impact on learning outcomes and exam performance.